KISS Coffeehouse -- January 16, 2006

MyrtleBeachOnline.com
By Dawn Bryant
The Sun News
Posted on Mon, Jan. 16, 2006

KISS coffee spot in works for Broadway

Raucous cafe to bear brand of rock band, developer says

The band KISS is adding one more ingredient to sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll: coffee.

The rockers, known for slapping their brand on everything from coffins to coasters since their heyday in the 1970s, will show a more mature side this spring when the first KISS Coffeehouse makes its debut at Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach.

Don't expect the same old laid-back coffee place.

This is KISS, a band known for its legendary partying, stage theatrics and white-and-black makeup.

Envision servers donning the trademark KISS face paint for special occasions and KISS classics blaring as a machine whips up the trademark KISS Frozen Rockuccino or a French KISS Vanilla.

"This concept is a little different," said Brian Galvin, a KISS fan for 31 years who developed the coffeehouse idea. "It's a stimulating environment to drink a stimulating beverage."

The coffeehouse will fill a 1,305-square-foot corner space at Celebrity Square, across from the Key West Grill. It will open sometime this spring or early summer. Officials didn't give an exact date. Galvin said band members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley plan to attend the grand opening.

Myrtle Beach offers the perfect stage for a KISS Coffeehouse, Galvin said, because of its appeal to the "Middle America" market, the segment likely to "Rock and Roll All Nite."

The Hard Rock Cafe, which has Paul Stanley's guitar and signed photos of other band members, is eager to welcome its new Celebrity Square neighbor, general manager Mike Davis said.

"Everything that is rock 'n' roll is good for us. One happy family," he said. "I can't see why it wouldn't work. They are kind of a caffeine, high-energy band so that makes sense."

If the KISS -themed coffee blends and sweets back up the eye-catching entrance, the coffeehouse will do well, said Pat Dowling, spokesman for Burroughs & Chapin Co. Inc., which owns Broadway and prides itself on family values

"It's different," he said. "It's not offensive at all. It's just fun. People will see it and say, 'That's cool. That's new. Let's go see.'"

Dowling downplayed the band's once raucous reputation.

"The band KISS was just an act," he said. "I don't think they are after the same attention anymore."

KISS has become a merchandising machine, putting its name and flair on hundreds of items, including bowling balls, checks, a coffin, ceramic tile and silver coins.

Signatures Network of San Francisco, which handles licensing for KISS, declined to comment on the coffeehouse Friday.

Galvin's company, The Galvin Group Inc. in Warwick, R.I., operates two Ben & Jerry ice cream shops, one in Florida and another in Connecticut. This is Galvin's first project with the band, and the band's first foray into food, he said.

Galvin plans to open more locations, possibly one in Las Vegas, if this one is a hit, he said.