RESTAURANTS FROM SCRATCH: How @ The Corner got its start in Little Rock

From left: Helen O'Keefe King, Kamiya Merrick, Leila King and Helen Grace King
From left: Helen O'Keefe King, Kamiya Merrick, Leila King and Helen Grace King

The owners of @ The Corner have been knocking down barriers in Little Rock’s food industry from the day they opened downtown more than three years ago.

Three sisters and their mother wanted to revolutionize traditional recipes that could be served in a modern take on a 1950s-style diner.

While @ The Corner is known for its weekend brunches based on specific themes — including outer space, taekwondo and superheroes — becoming a full-time brunch house was something the owners never expected.

“Little Rock wasn’t ready for brunch,” co-owner Helen Grace King said. “I had so many people laugh at us when we started doing Saturday brunch. They said brunch was only a Sunday thing. But if you ventured anywhere outside of Little Rock, brunch was an everyday thing. It just took a while, and we had to build a following.”

Gaining those followers took about a year after opening at 201 E. Markham St. in downtown Little Rock in March 2015. It was a dream come true for 28-year-old chef Kamiya Merrick, 33-year-old co-owner Leila King and their mother, Helen O’Keefe King, who had always wanted to own their own restaurant.

But for Helen Grace King, who was in grad school when the family began to consider opening a restaurant, she wasn’t sure it was the right path. The 29-year-old was the only one who voted "no."

That all changed when the women went to eat at the former restaurant occupying the space and fell in love with the location. “Something felt right,” King said. “In our hearts, in our bones, we knew we were meant to be here. So we trusted it.”

The early years were tough, she said. With only a small loan, they had to open within three months of buying the space. There was no funding for advertising — or a dishwasher, so the food was served on styrofoam plates until they could save enough money.

“This is a very tough industry,” King said. “It’s a high-stress environment, and we’re trying to feed our families with this restaurant. We’ve had knock-down, drag-out fights — like ponytail pulling — but at the end of the day, we have unconditional love for each other,” King said.

Love for each other, for the restaurant and for good food is the bedrock of @ The Corner, and that family dynamic bleeds into the owners’ interactions with customers, Merrick said. Patrons feel at ease handing their babies to the women for a snuggle while waiting for their food. Other children can’t wait to give them an invitation to their birthday party.

When customers walk in the door, they’re treated like family, Merrick said, so it makes sense that @ The Corner would become a destination to celebrate holidays and special occasions. When King saw the line of people stretching around the block as they waited for a table on Mother’s Day in May 2018, she couldn’t help but cry.

“I’d never seen a line so long in my life,” she said. “It meant the world that these families were standing outside in the sun to dine with us. It’s was breathtaking, jaw-dropping.”

With @ The Corner’s success, the four female owners have made a name for themselves in an industry typically dominated by men. Although King said they still have plenty of doubters, the owners are ready to grow their brand and have their eye on a couple locations for expansion.

“Personally, I think we’re overlooked because we’re women and because we’re so young,” King said. “I still have people ask, ‘Does your father own this restaurant?’ But we’re moving so fast and so forward. It’s neat to be a part of that in Little Rock and in the United States. I’m very proud that we’re women — young women — leading the way, and we’re thankful the Little Rock community supports us.”

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