Montgomery: Hoping for an economic revival

MONTGOMERY — Standing behind the counter at the Fruits of Labor Coffee Shop in Montgomery, 21-year-old Erika Martin points to a variety of options, from hot coffees, cold frappes, to different syrups available for a new coffee creation. She’s especially excited to show off the shop’s jams, syrups and freshly ground beans, all made in-house.

Martin moved around the state growing up, but has been working at the coffee shop for the past few years as an assistant manager. Here, she sells drinks, pastries and sandwiches to customers around town, ranging from local business owners to the city mayor. In addition to offering a welcome contrast from the town’s pizza places and fast food joints, Fruits of Labor also serves another purpose.

“We help people in recovery,” Martin says. The coffee shops hire many people recovering from substance use disorder; Martin got involved through her work with an affiliated youth prevention program. “All of our locations hire people in our programs, we try to help.”

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The Montgomery area is also in the midst of a different type of recovery, an economic one. In 2017, WVU Tech pulled its campus out of the town, relocating to Beckley. The school’s former facilities stand out on the mountainside, a reminder of a time when the town could rely on students to help support the local economy.

“Now that Tech left, a lot of things have shut down,” Martin says.

She notes local officials have been doing what they can to help, including repurposing some of the old buildings. Montgomery is in the midst of a revival, she says, ranging from the opening of a new park, to a new pavilion and a farmer’s market.

“But it does take time and that’s what people don’t understand because they want it right now,” Martin said.

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