KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With virtual learning underway, some Kansas City metro businesses like Serenity Cafe are struggling with a lack of before and after-school traffic.
“We wanted it to be a place for serenity, a place of peace,” co-owner Victoria Blaise said.
Blaise and Rebecca Tolbert opened the cafe and a neighboring wellness center near Blue Ridge Boulevard and 61st Street in Raytown. They choose the location, in part, because of the high school across the street.
“The high school, it seemed to piece together perfectly,” Tolbert said.
Three weeks after its grand opening, Serenity Cafe was forced to close as Jackson County issued its stay-at-home order.
Reopening has been a "long journey of uncertainty" as most of their customers were students and members of nearby churches.
“Like day to day, you don’t know what to do," Tolbert said. "Things constantly change as the virus peaks, school still isn’t back in session, so it’s just a day to day thing."
In Kansas, Christy’s Tasty Queen, located across the street from Turner Middle School, also has seen less business with schools moving instruction online.
“We got to know the kids personally," Sheri Owens said. "You know from coming in everyday, they’d be here after school and we could count on them being a regular staple. I think it would help a lot to have people coming back in like they did before, the regular crowd.”
