PITTSBURG, KS – Starting at 6 a.m. Saturday, March 8, Harry’s Cafe regulars will once again have a place to eat a hearty breakfast, sip a cup of coffee and enjoy a slice of pie in a cozy, nostalgia-filled environment.
“We put in a lot of hard work in a little amount of time,” Owner Charlie Hensley said. “And I just feel like it would have been a loss for the community for this to be shut down.”
When Hensley saw the Facebook announcement that Harry’s Cafe closed Jan. 15, he stepped in and bought the building to keep the restaurant in the family. Hensley is the grandson of Henry and Betty Farris, who have owned the business since the early 1990s.
Hensley currently lives in Kansas City, and works in credit card processing, but he said he wanted to keep the legacy alive for his family and the community.
“I didn't want to see it get put into the wrong hands,” he said.
After taking possession of the building Feb. 8, Hensley set to work refreshing the interior of the restaurant with the help of a crew of dedicated people. The group tore out old wallpaper, painted, replaced ceiling tiles, reupholstered the booths and more. New carpet is set to be installed next week.
Hensley said he had many people volunteer their time to help with renovations, and that he could not have done it without CDL Electric, S&B Lawncare and many others.
“When it comes to Harry's, the community comes together,” Manager Killashandra Nichols said. “I've seen it many times in here.”
Nichols managed the restaurant for two years before its closure, and when it shut down, she felt like she had lost a part of her family.
“This place and the customers became my home,” she said. “When this place closed down, all of my regulars got hold of me. I still have breakfast with some of them, and they just asked me when they get to come home.”
Hensley said he had heard from a lot of people that the closing of Harry’s messed with a lot of people’s routines. Nichols said she saw her regulars more than she saw her own family.
“It's like we all just became this giant family ourselves,” she said. “We all depend on seeing each other, and you don't find places like that often.”
When Hensley reached out to Nichols to ask her to come back to be the manager at Harry’s Cafe again, she had an interview lined up for the next day.
“But there was no way I was saying no to Harry's Cafe,” she said.
Hensley said he plans to apply for historical grants to help with building upkeep and then remodel the apartment above the restaurant.
Although the restaurant is slightly revamped, Hensley and Nichols said the place will still have the same warm, welcoming surroundings.
“It has the same old-school feel with just a modernized business plan,” Hensley said.
He said a lot of people have told him they see a lot of his grandfather in him, and that he wants to keep that memory alive.
One constant customer was instrumental in the renovations of Harry’s Cafe. Leroy Smith, of S&B Lawncare, said he was there nearly every day. Smith said Hensley was like an adopted son to him as Hensley was his son’s best friend growing up. They would always go to Harry’s together and sit in the same booth.
“There’s a lot of memories here,” Smith said. “When they closed, there was a lot of nostalgia. I would bring four or five people in with me every day almost. After they closed, we were like, where do we go? We're glad it's back. Glad to be able to come back this weekend.”
Hansley said he hopes he makes everyone proud and has enjoyed reopening a spot for everyone that has been open for more than 80 years.
“Come in, eat, support local and see what we have done with the place,” he said.
This reporting is made possible, in part, by the Support Local Journalism Project Fund. Learn more at: southeastkansas.org/Localnews
