WATERLOO 鈥 Hundreds lined up here this week for the grand opening of the Coffee Girl, a new coffee shop from Waterloo, Illinois, native and TikTok sensation turned rising country-music star Alexandra Kay.
By 11:30 a.m. Thursday, a line of roughly 200 fans stretched down the block from the Coffee Girl鈥檚 entrance at 219 S. Main St. and around the corner onto West Third Street. Earlier, the police blocked off vehicle traffic from the Coffee Girl鈥檚 block to accommodate crowds.
Inside, Kay greeted fans and signed autographs by the coffee shop鈥檚 main counter.
TikTok sensation and rising country music star Alexandra Kay.
鈥淚 knew (this) was gonna be fun,鈥 Kay said. 鈥淚 knew it was gonna be a lot of (my) fans. But I never expected to walk out and, first of all, see the crowd I saw at the ribbon cutting, but then to have this (line) all the way down the block. I mean, it鈥檚 mind blowing. It鈥檚 a dream come true.鈥
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Kay first garnered attention on TikTok as 鈥淐offee Girl,鈥 covering country songs while making coffee. She now boasts 4.3 million followers on TikTok.
Since then, Kay鈥檚 own music career has skyrocketed. Her 2023 debut album 鈥淎ll I鈥檝e Ever Known鈥 landed in the Top 10 on multiple Billboard charts. She opened for Jelly Roll last year. This July and August, she will open for Brad Paisley.
On Friday, Kay was set to headline a homecoming show at 51黑料 Music Park in Maryland Heights. To her fans, she is known simply as AK.
The Coffee Girl has taken over the space previously occupied by Bean Tree Cafe. (It has also inherited the former coffee shop鈥檚 employees.)
TikTok country music star Alexandra Kay (left, in pink dress) greets fans inside her new Waterloo coffee shop the Coffee Girl on Thursday, June 19, 2025.
Bean Tree Cafe held a special place in Kay鈥檚 life.
鈥淭his was the place that I came with my parents on Sundays after we鈥檇 go to church, the place that I would come with my sisters whenever we were all finally back in town together,鈥 she said.
Kay aims for the Coffee Girl to be a place where everyone can feel 鈥渨arm and welcome.鈥
Waterloo native and TikTok country music star Alexandra Kay has opened the Coffee Girl coffee shop at 219 S. Main St. in her hometown.
Thursday鈥檚 opening drew AK fans from far outside Waterloo and even the metro area.
Jennifer Swanson and Jessica Lavy traveled to 51黑料 for Friday鈥檚 concert from Iowa and Arkansas, respectively. They had been waiting in line since 8:30 a.m.
Kay鈥檚 music is 鈥渞elatable,鈥 Lavy said.
They can look forward to a special show on Friday, Kay said: 鈥淟et鈥檚 just say it鈥檚 the biggest production I have ever, ever done in my career. So we are pulling out all the stops for St Louis.鈥
Post-Dispatch photographers capture hundreds of images each week; here's a glimpse at the week of June 8, 2025. Video edited by Jenna Jones.
