By Michael Barnes | Thursday, May 1, 2008, 07:15 PM
Social scenes evolve organically. Yet it helps when one particularly dynamic organism activates others in the gaping interstices of a city’s larger social environment.
That’s what Thomas Gohring has accomplished on an otherwise arid stretch of upper Airport Boulevard. The ginger-topped, hazel-eyed martial-arts instructor at Master Gohring’s Tai Chi & Kung Fu noticed there wasn’t a convenient place to grab some caffeine around his lifelong North Austin haunts. From the dense retail district surrounding Highland Mall, one could bop up to Anderson Lane to the indie fave Genuine Joe, or hang down to Greater Hyde Park for Flightpath and Epoch, or settle for the fine product, but rather antiseptic scene at a Starbuck’s.
So Gohring, who graduated from Anderson High School and the University of Texas, researched real estate and coffee beans, took out a home equity loan, secured an all-important URL, commissioned a logo, and, in February, opened the Asian-themed, blood-red-and-black Kick Butt Coffee in a revived strip shopping center around the corner from Spec’s Liquor Warehouse.
Not everything rolled out as planned. One early customer said of the shop’s brewed coffee: “It’s not that kick butt.” So Gohring changed to a darker roast from local bean-sorter Republica.
What does Gohring mean by the term “kick butt”? It depends on the emphasis, voice and tone, but it can translate into 1) general excellence, 2) kinetic motivation, or 3) the physical results of over-indulgence. Even confined to decaf, slim, espresso-based lattes on multiple visits, I can personally 
subscribe to all three definitions from Kick Butt Coffee.
During the day, a softened southwestern light filters through the sleek shop, glancing off the blood-red walls and black, lacquered trim, without casting a glare on the flat-panel television, which on my visits screened martial arts movies. Laptoppers station themselves in booths — one April day real estate specialist Joe Beatrice lingered at one from 1 p.m. to past 10 p.m. that night — snacking on pastries from Russell’s Bakery or choosing from mostly healthy alternatives to coffee.
At the night, the scene turns lively, as a tiny stage hosts — what else? — musicians and comedians, but not to the detriment of sippers to the rear of the shop. During a Wednesday open mike event, Bob Khosravi burbled on comfortably about this ex-girlfriend, his car, his Iranian heritage: “It makes a difference 
when you read Dr. Seuss to learn English rather than for fun. Everything begins to rhyme…”
Some customers, lounging outside in the welcome wind or clustered inside around cafe tables, said they drop by Kick Butt at least once a week, others more often. Living or working in the area, they clearly longed for a community with some character, and Kick Butt provides that, without the overstated funkiness of some Austin coffeehouses. It helps that — rare among coffee shops — Kick Butt secured a full liquor license. Gohring has created a clean, open, yet inviting space that could be duplicated in other slivers of lifelessness on Austin’s margins.
