Jakey Leigh’s marks 16 years of coffee and community in downtown Kanab

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For Jakey Bailey, the little coffee shop at 4 E. Center St. in downtown Kanab is more than a business, it’s a place where her story began long before she became its owner.

On November 1, Jakey Leigh’s celebrated 16 years in business, marking a journey that began when Jakey worked at the same location as a high school student.

Back then, the business was called Vermillion Cafe and Espresso Bar, owned by Harold Brain, who introduced her to traditional European coffee preparation.

“It was then that I fell in love with real coffee,” she recalled.

A young Jakey Leigh behind the counter with Harold Brain at the former Vermillion Cafe and Espresso Bar in downtown Kanab. Brain introduced Jakey to traditional European coffee preparation, helping inspire her dream of owning a coffee shop. She went on to open Jakey Leigh’s at the same location on November 1, 2010.

The experience planted the seed for a future business. Growing up, Jakey had watched her father operate Kanab Autobody & Paint and admired the flexibility it gave him to be present for his family.

After graduating, she spent four years away from Kanab, working service jobs but holding onto the dream of opening a coffee shop of her own.

In 2010, she returned home and took a summer job at the same downtown storefront, then operating as Lin-da Lea’s under owner Linda Osborn. The two already had a connection: Jakey had spent childhood evenings at Osborn’s house with her granddaughter, Kayla.

When Osborn decided to sell, longtime supporter Glenn Webb encouraged Jakey to take the leap, and on November 1, 2010, Jakey Leigh’s opened its doors.

She kept some of Linda’s popular baked goods, including bagels and scones, while bringing back the European-style coffee she had learned to make years earlier.

The first year was challenging, she recalled, but local customers, including the daily Kanab Koffee Klatch gathering, helped the fledgling business survive.

Sixteen years later, that sense of community remains central to Jakey’s philosophy.

“I want people to feel like they are coming home every time they are in my shop,” she said.

Over the years, she and her staff have developed friendships with regular customers and visitors who return to Kanab year after year.

Looking ahead, Jakey hopes to make the shop more convenient for local customers, explore new menu offerings and continue adapting to the community’s needs.

Through those changes, her original vision remains intact: a welcoming place where neighbors and visitors can gather over a good cup of coffee.