From hard knocks to hungry flocks: Two friends open Nehemiah's Diner and set a new path for their lives

In the Bible, the book of Nehemiah tells the story of a Persian governor of Judea who, in the span of 13 years, rebuilds the walls of Jerusalem. After a two-year absence, Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem and, appalled by the corruption he finds, leads the restoration of orderly public worship and obedience to the laws of Moses.

That story became the inspiration for two women opening a new restaurant in downtown Cape Girardeau. Patrons of Nehemiah's Diner, 707 Broadway, won't get a side-helping of religion with each meal, but they might, if they linger to talk with owners Shauna Watson and Loyce Poole, learn how the restaurant got its name.

"Our whole concept here at Nehemiah's is that everybody is rebuilding their lives," Watson said.

Watson brings the restaurant experience to the partnership -- she owned Drue's Place in Scott City and her aunt owned Nan's in Chaffee, Mo. She's also worked in several restaurants, including the former tenant of the space now occupied by Nehemiah's, the Rose of Broadway.

Poole brings managerial experience. After working many years in the medical field in Southern Illinois, she took a job at Fred's Discount in Anna, Ill., then transferred to be a manager at the Cape Girardeau store on South Sprigg Street.

Poole met Watson while working at Fred's, where they became such fast friends that they often finish each other's sentences. Both explained that they've had some hard knocks, alluding to divorces, children who are dealing with problems and other instances where they stumbled. Both, for example, have been homeless.

Now they are entrepreneurs, a position that seemed unlikely a short time ago, they said.

"It was a far-fetched dream because I never had anything that was mine," Poole said.

The dream has taken nine months to become a reality. All the old decor is gone. The walls have been painted, new tile was installed, tables had to be found and everything they needed, from glassware to kitchen equipment, had to be gathered on a tight budget.

"It has been hustling and hustling and doing a lot of the work ourselves," Watson said.

But they've had help as well. Don Gannim, owner of Jeremiah's in downtown Cape Girardeau, came through with glassware, Watson said. Old martini glasses have become dishes to serve deserts, for example.

And Watson thanks her landlord, Craig Horky, for giving her a break on the cost of an apartment above the restaurant during the nine months spent remodeling the storefront. "In the beginning of this, I was homeless," she said. "He let me move in above the building. I was also carless, had no job and no phone."

Getting the restaurant open has taken longer than Horky anticipated, but he's happy with the result. "I've been in business, in and out a lot of times, and I know how it is to get started, so I cut her a little slack," he said. "Once they get going in the area they will have a lot of walk-up trade, a lot of business people would stop in there for the lunch crowd."

The menu at Nehemiah's will feature sandwiches, soups, salads and desserts, all reasonably priced, the partners said. But simple fare doesn't mean bland, as evidenced by the "equator wings" which Poole described as "really hot, hot, hot wings."

The location for the new restaurant is where the Rose of Broadway cafe once operated. The Rose of Broadway closed in August 2005, followed by the short-lived Chez Natchez.

Nehemiah's started operating Thursday for what Poole called a "soft opening." Over the next 90 days, the partners hope to work out the kinks, then expand their hours from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. six days a week and from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Sundays, staying open late on weekend nights to cater to students and others who want to eat after an evening out.

They see a niche in the lack of a downtown eatery that serves late. "It is better than getting in a car and going across town," Poole said.

In addition, they plan to begin opening earlier, serving a breakfast buffet and a Sunday brunch. "We just hope to be an added complement to Broadway," Watson said.

And the rebuilding won't stop once the restaurant is open. The two employees already on staff are working to overcome personal missteps, Watson said, and they want to be a welcoming presence.

"We rebuilt the building and we rebuilt our lives," Poole said. "It is just a year for rebuilding."

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126