More Than a Coffee Shop: Liquid Lounge Creates Opportunity One Cup at a Time
Every morning, customers will walk through the doors of Liquid Lounge expecting a great cup of coffee.
Guy and Yvette Troupe hope they leave with something even more valuable.
For the husband-and-wife team behind the new boutique coffee shop at GEM, Greenwood Entrepreneurship at Moton, coffee has always been the starting point, not the destination. Their vision extends well beyond handcrafted beverages, creating a welcoming place where entrepreneurs gather, young people develop career skills, and neighbors build meaningful connections.
“We don’t just serve coffee. We cultivate opportunity,” Yvette said. “Every cup we serve helps create a space where community thrives, entrepreneurs are inspired, and the next generation gains the skills and confidence to succeed.”
It’s a mission born from decades of professional experience, a shared passion for helping others, and a decision to return home to Tulsa with a purpose.
Brewing a New Beginning
Before opening Liquid Lounge, Guy and Yvette built careers that took them far beyond Oklahoma.
Guy spent more than three decades as an entrepreneur, developing businesses, leading teams, and learning firsthand what it takes to build something that lasts. Yvette’s career followed a different path. With a background in accounting, she later discovered a passion for wellness and nutrition, eventually pursuing a master’s degree in nutritional sciences while exploring ways food and beverages could positively impact everyday health.
Together, they lived and worked in cities across the country before eventually asking themselves a simple question.
“What are we going to do in Tulsa?”
The answer wasn’t simply opening another coffee shop.
They wanted to create the kind of place they enjoyed discovering while traveling. In this neighborhood gathering space, conversations happened naturally, ideas were exchanged, and people from all walks of life felt welcome.
For Guy, it was an opportunity to invest in future entrepreneurs. For Yvette, it became a platform to combine hospitality with her passion for wellness and education.
Those complementary perspectives continue to shape every aspect of the business today.
While Guy focuses on developing systems, mentoring employees, and building a sustainable business model, Yvette creates an environment centered on encouragement, hospitality, and helping people make informed choices about their health. The couple jokes that they often “dance” through decisions together, balancing one another’s strengths to keep the business moving forward.
Where Coffee Meets Community
Spend a few minutes with Guy and Yvette, and you’ll quickly discover that Liquid Lounge serves much more than coffee.
“We serve coffee, and we serve people,” Yvette said.
The menu features coffee, tea, pastries, breakfast offerings, and wellness-inspired beverages, including signature drinks made with Yvette’s proprietary spice blend designed to support energy, immunity, and overall wellness. Rather than treating wellness as a separate initiative, they’ve intentionally woven it into the customer experience in a way that feels approachable and inviting.
But what makes Liquid Lounge different isn’t found on the menu.
The Troupes intentionally designed the space to become a gathering place for entrepreneurs, students, remote workers, and community members looking for somewhere to connect.
It’s common to see people working on business ideas, meeting with clients, studying, or simply sharing conversations over coffee.
For Guy, that’s exactly the point.
Relationships create opportunities, and coffee shops have long been places where those relationships begin.
Rather than encouraging customers to hurry through their visit, Liquid Lounge is designed to invite people to stay awhile, to exchange ideas, build connections, and become part of something larger than themselves.
That philosophy extends beyond the customers they serve.
Creating Opportunity for the Next Generation
While many coffee shops measure success by the number of drinks sold each day, Guy measures success a little differently.
His greatest hope is that one day a young employee walks away with the confidence and skills to own a business of their own.
“We’re like the Vo-Tech for retail,” he said.
The comparison isn’t accidental.
Liquid Lounge’s workforce development program is intentionally designed to teach much more than how to make coffee.
Young employees gain experience in customer service, hospitality, inventory management, financial responsibility, leadership, and professional communication; skills that transfer to almost any career.
Guy believes those lessons are especially important for young adults who may choose a different path than college.
“That kind of person needs some career path,” he explained. “They need a mentor. They need coaching. They need help.”
His long-term vision reaches even further.
Rather than simply hiring employees, he’d like to see some eventually become leaders or owners themselves.
That focus on ownership reflects a broader belief shared by both Guy and Yvette: success shouldn’t be defined by a single educational path.
The couple wants young people to recognize their own talents, discover opportunities they may never have considered, and develop the confidence to pursue meaningful careers, whether that leads to entrepreneurship, retail leadership, hospitality, or something entirely different.
For them, the coffee shop is simply the classroom.
The real product is opportunity.
A Blend for Better Living
While workforce development sits at the heart of Liquid Lounge’s mission, wellness is never far behind.
For Yvette, whose studies in nutritional sciences continue to shape the business, helping people make informed decisions about their health is another way of investing in the community.
“I want our community to understand that food is medicine,” she said. “I want people to be educated and empowered. Whatever choice you make, that’s your choice, but I want the community to understand.”
That philosophy inspired the development of the café’s signature wellness beverages, which feature her proprietary spice blend crafted to support energy, immunity, and overall well-being. More importantly, it reflects a broader commitment to making wellness feel approachable rather than overwhelming.
Guy laughs that the two occasionally “arm wrestle” over how much healthy food belongs in a coffee shop versus the sweet treats customers naturally gravitate toward. But those conversations reflect the same balance they’ve built throughout their partnership, combining practical business decisions with a desire to make a lasting difference.
Together, they see the business as a vehicle for sharing knowledge, encouraging healthier choices, and creating opportunities for people to thrive, not just professionally, but personally as well.
When the Grind Got Tough
Like many small businesses that opened in 2020, Liquid Lounge’s entrepreneurial journey took an unexpected turn almost immediately.
The original location opened in January 2020. Just two months later, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the business to close its doors. After years of planning and investing their own resources into the business, the Troupes suddenly found themselves navigating one of the most uncertain periods in recent history.
Through TEDC Creative Capital, they secured a CDBG Cares Loan that allowed them to retain employees and weather the disruption while so many small businesses were struggling to survive.
For Guy and Yvette, however, the relationship didn’t end once the immediate crisis had passed.
Instead, it became the beginning of an ongoing partnership.
As conversations continued with TEDC Creative Capital, Executive Director and CEO Rose Washington challenged the couple to think beyond operating a single neighborhood coffee shop.
Rather than viewing Liquid Lounge as one successful location, she encouraged them to imagine what the concept could become over time.
“Rose specifically pushed our thinking,” Guy recalled. “‘Don’t just have one boutique coffee shop. This can be a national brand that can be franchised.'”
That encouragement ultimately led the Troupes to establish their newest location at GEM, Greenwood Entrepreneurship at Moton (which officially re-opened on Wednesday, July 22, 2026), a TEDC-owned entrepreneurial hub designed to support growing businesses and foster collaboration.
The new space also allowed them to expand their original vision by incorporating a drive-through, an idea they initially hadn’t considered but now see as an important step toward building a stronger, more sustainable business.
A Legacy Worth Pouring Into
Ask Guy what success looks like, and his answer has very little to do with the number of cups sold each day.
Together, they envision Liquid Lounge as something far greater than a neighborhood café.
It’s a place where entrepreneurs find encouragement.
Where students and remote workers gather to exchange ideas.
Where young people develop skills that prepare them for meaningful careers.
Where relationships begin over coffee but continue long after the cups are empty.
The Troupes know that vision won’t happen overnight.
Like any entrepreneurial journey, it will require patience, learning, and continual growth.
But that’s a future they’re eager to build; one conversation, one customer, and one opportunity at a time.
As Guy often reminds aspiring entrepreneurs, “Don’t disqualify yourself.” Sometimes, all it takes is taking the first step and finding people willing to invest in your potential.
For Liquid Lounge, every cup served is another chance to do exactly that, one cup at a time.
About TEDC Creative Capital
TEDC Creative Capital is a nonprofit community development financial institution (CDFI) dedicated to helping entrepreneurs and small businesses access the capital, education, and resources they need to grow. Through flexible lending programs, business advising, and entrepreneurial development initiatives, TEDC supports businesses at every stage of their journey while strengthening communities across Oklahoma.
Additional Information
Drive-through: Opens Sep 1, 2026. Note that the drive-through menu does not offer custom sandwiches and wraps (these remain in-shop only).
Store Hours: 7 am–4 pm, Monday–Saturday.