Narayan Kakrel grew up in a rural farming community in Nepal, with his family raising cattle and crops like tobacco and sugar cane. He never was particularly stolen, but he turns around and remembers walking to school barefoot, unable to afford a bag of books.
But today, Cakrell is a university graduate and owner of Coffee Talk Café in downtown Towson, and his young daughter thrives in local public schools. “I am extremely grateful to have been able to build a life here in Maryland,” he says.
It was a long journey. After completing his commercial degree in Nepal and conducting hospitality studies in Singapore, Haklel traveled to over 30 countries, including Europe, the United Arab Emirates and parts of Hong Kong, gaining practical experience in the services industry. He also traveled to the United States, where his deaf person was studying at Montgomery University in Rockville. There he met the owner of a local restaurant, sponsored his green card and offered to hire Kakrel to support the food and drink management team.
While Hakrel waited for the visa to be processed, he returned to Kathmandu and opened several successful coffee shops. Then, a disaster occurred in 2015. A major earthquake, including Kakrel’s store, destroyed much of the city and forced him to close his business.
Luckily, his green card finally arrived soon. Khakurel returned to the US and first supported the restaurant business in Virginia, then moved to Towson in 2016 to launch Coffee Talk Cafe. At first, I didn’t need much help from the local organization. However, when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, local government agencies helped him access the loans and grants he needed to maintain his business. The Towson Chamber of Commerce also stepped up and encouraged local residents to support businesses such as Coffee Talk Cafés using social media and hosting events.
During the worst pandemic, Kakrel drove Uber and Lyft for 13 hours a day to prevent him from paying rent and going under the cafe. “It was a real struggle,” he says. But with loans from the Small Business Association, support from other local businesses, and the support of Maryland’s strong Nepali-American community, he was able to keep his business up.
Today, Coffee Talk Cafe is bustling, with Khakurel trying to hire new workers to support their team. He is grateful for the community’s support and chose to pay off that debt by supporting other local entrepreneurs. He buys food from all cafes from businesses in and around Baltimore County, from coffee beans to bread and ice cream. “We want to contribute to the community,” he explains. “Every day is a challenge for entrepreneurs, but I think we’re incredibly lucky that our doors are still open.”
