Last week, on a tumultuous Tuesday in the East Bottoms, we spoke with Historic Northeast resident and East Bottoms business person Abbi Cheek.

Abbi works at the Kansas City Canning company that occupies the old Town Topic space at Chestnut Avenue and Nicholson. The company creates specialty jams, jellies, canned vegetables and gourmet soda mixing syrups.

Why did you move to Historic Northeast?

“I recently moved from the Scarritt neighborhood to Pendleton Heights and I really appreciate the eccentricity of the neighborhood and the architecture. I was also looking for a place that was affordable. As a single parent, money is always tight so being able to live in a lot more house for less money is appealing.”

What is it about the neighborhood that’s appealing to you?

“I love the people in the neighborhood and how close the community is and how much everyone supports each other. You don’t get that in other areas of the city.”

How is it working and living in the community?

“Our kitchen has been here in the old Town Topic diner space for a couple of years and I had mutual friends with the owner and I was looking for a new gig in the food industry so I settled here. We’re close friends with Alex Pope over at Local Pig and we kind of like this area a lot! I don’t think we’re planning on leaving any time soon, we really like it down here!”

To learn more about Kansas City Canning Co., visit the website at www.kansascitycanningco.com.