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EDEN — For 13 years, tourists and townspeople enjoyed the home cooking and camaraderie served at The Sandwich Shop in the back of Mitchell’s No. 1 Drug Store on Washington Street in Eden.

Ten months ago, the drugstore was closed and sold . Instead of “Will Kim run out of meatloaf on Thursdays?” the cry of regular customers became “Will there be meatloaf?” Period.

Two friends, Kim Shields (formerly Alverson) and Tammy Perry, had leased the old-fashioned soda shop location from Russ Mitchell, who owned Mitchell’s Drug.

Their regulars and newcomers sat on stools at the counter or at a few tables scattered around the small space.  The shop was open for breakfast and lunch. Closing time was in the late afternoon about 4 p.m. Many birthdays were celebrated around those tables. Many tales were told.

Kim says that people liked to come to The Sandwich Shop for the friendly atmosphere and good food. Some of her fondest memories originate with the late Jess Burchell and the “coffee drinkers” (men only), who met almost every morning to catch up on the local news and to tell stories. 

For a month or so, Kim thought that Marty Walls, owner of the new facility, The House of Health, planned to let her keep the sandwich shop. The plumbing, however, was too expensive to replace.

Friends and customers offered money and encouragement to Kim to help her find another location on Washington Street or someplace close by the old location.

The persistent buzz around downtown, “When is Kim going to reopen?” slowly became a whisper and died down after many months.

Anyone who ran into Kim, though, would repeat that line in hopes of keeping the dream alive.

In February,  word got around that Kim was going to open again. Where? When? Only people who live in a small Southern town can truly understand the flurry of half-truths. Everyone wants to have the last word.

So when March arrived, the swirling of the winds was nothing compared to the swirling of the gossip about the sandwich shop. Most people were positive that Kim was opening again. Others thought it would never happen.

The facts: The new location is near the former Mitchell’s Drug. The restaurant’s new home is the former site of an Italian-style restaurant on Monroe Street across from the old post office.

The opening dates were passed around town like so many servings of Kim’s famed meatloaf.

Culprits in the delay turned out to be restaurant inspectors. A fan needed replacing. Customers arrived at the door only to find a “not open yet” sign on the glass door.

But by April, the smell of down-home cooking permeated the restaurant. The hearts and souls of friends and customers are satisfied at last.

The shopkeepers on Washington Street have time to relax while eating lunch nearby. Eden ‘s tourists take home a pleasant memory of friendliness and good food. The regulars are happy about the meatloaf.

The move stimulated the local economy because now there are five employees instead of two to take care of the crowds. The hours are longer — 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the week . The Sandwich Shop is now Kim’s Kafe, and Kim is now Kim Shields after marrying during the early days of the move!

What remains the same are the menu and the food. Kim plans to keep to her lunch schedule of spaghetti on Mondays, vegetables on Tuesdays, pintos and slaw (and maybe a salmon cake) on Wednesdays, meatloaf and vegetables on Thursdays and taco salad on Fridays.

She hopes to add pancakes and omelets to the breakfast menu, and different meats and vegetables for the other two meals. The meatloaf, chicken salad, Buffalo chips and fresh cheeseburgers will always be served. Take-out orders are growing.

Kim says she is grateful to her loyal customers for helping her with financing and enthusiasm for reopening.

The menu board at the front door features desserts, some homemade, some donated by customers, some from the freezer.

The meatloaf does not run out on Thursdays any more. Kim is back. All’s right with the world.

Rachel Wright is a native of Eden.