Fruits of Labor Cafe officially closes Beckley location

BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — Fruits of Labor Cafe and culinary school moved into a building on Neville Street, owned by the City of Beckley, around three years ago, quickly becoming a popular eatery and a place where those in recovery could train in the culinary field.

Members of Beckley Council said, however, that they never approved a lease agreement because city officials had worked out the deal privately, agreeing in emails to charge $1,000 monthly for rent to Fruits of Labor, about a third of the market rate.

A newly elected Council was pushing to formalize a lease agreement, Beckley Common Council at-large representative Cody Reedy said on Monday, August 26, 2024, when Fruits of Labor owner Tammy Jordan notified Council members that Fruits of Labor was closed and would vacate the premises immediately.

“We were all kind of ready to meet with Miss Jordan, as a new body, and come to an agreement to see what we could do to keep Fruits of Labor in our city-owned building, but unfortunately we received an email Friday that Fruits of Labor is shut down immediately,” said Councilman Reedy on Monday.

Council members said the non-profit Seed Sower, a women’s recovery organization, acknowledged earlier to Council members that Seed Sower also kept office space in the building, raising questions about the lease arrangement with Fruits of Labor.

Seed Sower moved out of the downtown building earlier this year, with the executive director saying the program needed more space for parking.

On Monday, notices from Seed Sower and Fruits of Labor were posted on the front door, notifying the public that the two organizations had vacated the space.

In the letter emailed to Council members, Jordan stated that she was leaving behind equipment and improvements that would more than compensate the city for the agreed upon lease during the time Fruits of Labor was inside the building.

Reedy said he would confer with city attorney Bill File to learn more about the improvements.

“At this time, I don’t know exactly what all equipment Miss Jordan was talking about leaving,” Reedy said. “To be honest, we haven’t had any conversations with Miss Jordan.”

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