Tekoa's Feeding Station to close after 19 years

TEKOA — The Tekoa café at the crest of the hill – in the building of a former implements dealer – will go out of business Friday after 19 years.

The Feeding Station, owned and operated by Shawn Smith and her mother Juanita Paden since 2006, will close after much thought the past two years.

“Business is down, minimum wage is up, COVID came along, it’s any number of things,” Smith said. “It’s just a lot of work.”

Before the virus shutdowns, the café was down to mother and daughter and one employee, from a peak of six. Others volunteered their time in the café, including one retiree who spent nin...