God’s Storehouse

God’s Storehouse has been playing it safe during the pandemic. They closed down for 44 days and laid off 58 employees but had access to paycheck protection program loans so they were able to bring back those employees  They also gained more employees once they reopened. 

“Even though we closed our doors for retail we were still helping families behind the scenes,” Founder of God’s Storehouse Rick Kloos said. 

God’s Storehouse has donated clothes and furniture to those in need during the pandemic. They reopened and have installed all appropriate measures to stay safe which include required masks upon entry, social distancing guidelines, sanitization stations, and partitions to keep employees safe. After all of this clears over Kloos plans on expanding the store. 

“The community has been very good, very supportive to us and through them, we have been able to donate to people as we have in years in the past,” Kloos said. 

Milk and Honey Coffee Co

Milk and Honey Coffee Co opened on March 16th and three days after they opened they had to shut their doors. This was very hard for them but they luckily had a building with a drive-through. “The drive-through is how we really adapted. We used it for three months until we were finally able to open our dining room,” co-owner Darlene Morgan said. 

The community has really helped Morgan’s business. The compliments they get build Milk and Honey Coffee Co up and help them to keep going on. 

“The community is just doing so much to let us know how much they appreciate us and that’s what really continues to keep us going to keep our chins lifted, keep our hearts open, and just praying for the best… We are more than coffee, we are here for the community” Morgan said. 

Morgan is a very hopeful person. She hopes to get more hours for her employees and maybe allow more opportunities for employees so she and co-owner, Chris Hartman, can take a step back and let them run the show. 

“I’d love to open up a Milk and Honey downtown, maybe the hospital. It’s wherever prayer takes us,” Morgan said. 

Morgan is also a thankful and community supportive person.

“I wanna thank Topeka and East Topeka so much for welcoming us and I want to remind everyone to support local,” Morgan said

Senor Bur-Rito

Senor Burrito has been having a similar experience with COVID-19 as God’s storehouse. They have implemented safety measures like handing silverware to people personally and they have also made a curbside pickup system. 

“We have definitely done more curbside pickup and delivery this year,” co-owner Dillon Smith said. 

Senor Bur-Rito has also gained community support. Local businesses had them at events so they could keep making money during this tough time. 

“We have definitely had a few regulars that would try to eat here once a week,” Smith said.

Smith hopes for the continued growth of his business.