Momma Martin’s Rogersville restaurant raises epilepsy awareness
Katherine Mansfield
Katherine Mansfield
Guests to Momma Martin鈥檚 in Rogersville are greeted with artwork by six-year-old Skilyr Martin, whose epilepsy diagnosis forced Kayla Martin to rethink her career. Skilyr and her brother Lucas, 8, spend most after-school hours at their mother鈥檚 storefront, and their art hangs throughout.
Kayla Martin stands proudly outside her storefront in Rogersville, where folks can grab pizza, subs, ice cream and more. Momma Martin鈥檚 brand color is purple, to raise epilepsy awareness. (Photo by Katherine Mansfield)
When Kayla Martin鈥檚 daughter Skilyr, right, was diagnosed with epilepsy, the mother of two decided it was time for a career change. She opened Momma Martin鈥檚 in June, and her children Skilyr and Lucas, left, spend their after-school hours coloring inside the spacious eatery. Martin鈥檚 husband Nate, back left, encouraged his wife to open the business. (Photo courtesy of Kayla Martin)
Kayla Martin, center, said she could not run Momma Martin鈥檚 without her grandparents Patricia and Charles Whitlatch, who spend most days assisting in the restaurant. Patricia, known as 鈥淕randma鈥� to staff and regulars, makes a mean homemade chili, and Charles is the resident handyman. (Photo by Katherine Mansfield)
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When you see the big purple sign, you鈥檝e arrived.
Momma Martin鈥檚 restaurant, which opened in June along West Roy Furman Highway in Rogersville, greets guests with that purple sign and a front door decorated in artwork by owner Kayla Martin鈥檚 daughter, Skilyr.
Skilyr is Martin鈥檚 reason for opening the restaurant.
鈥淚n November, she bumped heads with a little boy,鈥� said Martin, a Greene County native who earned a degree in criminal justice from Waynesburg University. 鈥淪he started kind of staring off. We didn鈥檛 really know exactly what was going on. We ended up finding out in January that she was having seizures. She missed eight weeks of school last year; she was in and out of the hospital. I was having to take a lot of time off of work.鈥�
Skilyr was eventually diagnosed with epilepsy, and Martin needed flexibility not afforded by a full-time job to care for her daughter.
Martin had worked for six years alongside her mother Natalie Amos and grandmother, Patricia Whitlatch, at Burns鈥� Delight ice creamery, and fondly recalled summers spent doling out soft serve. When Larry Anderson closed up shop at the end of 2021, leaving his building along Roy Furman Highway fully outfitted for a restaurant operation empty, Martin鈥檚 husband Nate saw an opportunity.
鈥淢y husband, whenever he saw that this was for lease, he鈥檚 like, you seemed a lot happier when you were actually dealing with people 鈥� as opposed to just sitting behind a desk. He鈥檚 like, 鈥業 think that was your happiest, when you were doing that鈥�,鈥� Martin said.
She did miss the conversations that came with scooping soft serve, and needed a job her kids could come to, so the Martins took a leap of faith. Lucas and Skilyr named the restaurant 鈥� they, and now Martin鈥檚 staff, call her 鈥楳omma鈥� 鈥� and Momma Martin鈥檚 officially opened its doors June 5.
The storefront offers a convenience section for folks on the go, and local high school teams often place online orders for pickup after practice. Martin said a wonderful group of gentlemen stops by nearly every morning for coffee and camaraderie.
鈥淲e have our 9 a.m. coffee crew. They come in, they鈥檒l sit here for what, an hour and a half or so. So it is a community thing,鈥� she said.
Community is what Momma Martin鈥檚 is all about. Martin offers everything from the coffee bar and breakfast pizzas (she鈥檚 working to perfect her own specialty 鈥榸ah) to hoagies and pulled pork sandwiches.
Whitlatch, who regulars call 鈥済randma,鈥� whips up homemade desserts most days, and her secret chili recipe is a Momma Martin鈥檚 classic.
鈥淕randma鈥檚 Chili is a big one. She homemakes the chili,鈥� Martin said proudly. 鈥淭hen, of course, you know, we run specials here and there. We鈥檝e been talking about doing family meals in the evenings, like pans of lasagna, that if they place an order ahead of time we can prepare and things like that.鈥�
The ice cream section of Momma Martin鈥檚 harkens back to the owner鈥檚 Burns鈥� Delight days, and features hand-dipped hard ice cream in a variety of flavors and several funky specials, including the Momma鈥檚 Buster and Momma鈥檚 Delight, which is smothered in hot fudge, whipped cream and warm brownies.
鈥淭he Momma鈥檚 Delight is one of those things that when the kids are being really bad and you just want to go in the closet and cry and just eat ice cream, that鈥檚 what it is,鈥� Martin laughed.
Momma Martin鈥檚 aims to be an inviting space. It鈥檚 clean, airy and decked out for fall, and for her kids, it鈥檚 home away from home.
鈥淢y kids do spend time here after school. They always are doing arts and crafts that we hang everywhere,鈥� said Martin.
She hopes the community will join her for some of the events swirling about in her mind. Martin hopes to host holiday dinners, so oil and gas workers away from their families have a place to enjoy Thanksgiving, and movie nights or other family gatherings that will bring Rogersville and surrounding areas together.
Martin is also considering selling local artisans鈥� wares in her storefront.
鈥淚鈥檓 all about supporting other people. I want to help other local businesses get their names out,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen it comes to communities, we have to be in this together.鈥�
The community has shown up for Martin, but opening a business toward the end of a global pandemic is not without its challenges. Supply chain issues and inflation have made the journey bumpy.
鈥淚 want to keep things low because of the community that we鈥檙e in. I don鈥檛 want to price things too, too much to where people can鈥檛 afford it,鈥� Martin said. 鈥淏ut at the same time, I鈥檓 starting to realize that we have to adjust things to be able to stay open for the community.鈥�
Stay open and, of course, raise awareness for epilepsy.
Staff shirts are in the works, and will feature purple, the color of epilepsy awareness.
鈥淚 really don鈥檛 think that we would鈥檝e done this had Skilyr not started having seizures. I did like my job,鈥� Martin said, but 鈥渋t is all about my kids, honestly. So we chose purple just because of the awareness.鈥�
Folks are welcome to drop by for snacks to go, or grab a table and stay awhile between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Momma Martin鈥檚 is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekends.
For more on Momma Martin鈥檚, visit http://www.mommamartins.com/ or follow her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MommaMartins22.