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News We Love: Coffee shop supports women survivors of abuse, addiction

'It's a safe place for women': Employees call the experience working at Hon's Honey Marketplace life-changing

News We Love: Coffee shop supports women survivors of abuse, addiction

'It's a safe place for women': Employees call the experience working at Hon's Honey Marketplace life-changing

LIFE CHANGING. THIS COFFEE SHOP AND ALL THE PRODUCTS FOR SALE ARE HANDCRAFTED AND WHIPPED UP BY WOMEN WHO ARE REBUILDING THEIR LIVES ONE STEP AT A TIME. THAT’S THE MAIN THING. IT’S A SAFE PLACE FOR WOMEN. HONEY MARKETPLACE IN BROOKLYN IS A COFFEE SHOP RUN BY WOMEN WHO’VE SURVIVED ADDICTION, POVERTY, TRAFFICKING AND OTHER TRAUMA. SO THEY GAVE ME THE OPPORTUNITY OF HAVING A JOB. THEY PROVIDED CHILDCARE FOR ME BECAUSE I DIDN’T HAVE CHILDCARE, SO I WAS ABLE TO WORK. THE SHOP SPECIALIZES IN LATTES, HONEY, SELF CARE AND BODY PRODUCTS, CANDLES, MUGS AND MORE. HOMEMADE PRODUCTS. LATOYA COBOS IS A BARISTA AND SAYS HER LIFE IS TRANSFORMED. IN THE SIX YEARS SHE’S BEEN A PART OF THE WELL. I HAVE A CAR BECAUSE OF THEM. THROUGH THE CAR MATCH PROGRAM. I’M ON MY WAY TO BEING A HOME OWNER BECAUSE OF THEM, AND JUST, YOU KNOW, GIVING ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO WORK TO HELP PROVIDE FOR MY FAMILY THROUGH THE WELL. I’VE ALSO BECOME A PEER RECOVERY SPECIALIST, SO I CAN ALSO HELP THEM AND GUIDE THEM IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION OF WHERE THEY COULD GO FOR REHAB OR RECOVERY, OR JUST TO COME IN AND START THE CLASSES. DRINK AT THE WELL IS THE UMBRELLA NONPROFIT HONEY. HONEY OPERATES UNDER. IT’S BASED IN CURTIS BAY, AN AREA. ABIGAIL ERICKSON, THE MARKETPLACE MANAGER, CALLS THE FORGOTTEN NEIGHBORHOOD OF BALTIMORE. THERE’S REAL TRAUMA AND REAL POVERTY AND REAL, LIKE, SEVERELY MARGINALIZED PEOPLE GROUPS HERE THAT ARE JUST SIMPLY JUST NOT BEING RECOGNIZED. AND OF COURSE, PUT ANY OF THEM IN YOUR TEA. KATHY KEMPLE WORKS IN PRODUCTION, MAKING INFUSED HONEY. SHE’S RECOVERING FROM SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND NOW HAS A JOB, A CAR AND APARTMENT, AND A NEW OUTLOOK ON LIFE. SO, SO MANY, SO MANY DIFFERENT AREAS TO HELP WOMEN GET BACK INTO SOCIETY, TO HELP THEM TO TO HELP THEM GET THEIR LIFE BACK TO, TO GET THEIR PEACE OF MIND. AND IT’S AMAZING. IN SOUTH BALTIMORE, I’
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Updated: 10:23 PM CDT Oct 11, 2025
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News We Love: Coffee shop supports women survivors of abuse, addiction

'It's a safe place for women': Employees call the experience working at Hon's Honey Marketplace life-changing

WBAL logo
Updated: 10:23 PM CDT Oct 11, 2025
Editorial Standards
A Baltimore, Maryland, coffee shop does more than specialize in lattes, honey, candles, mugs and self-care, body and handmade products.Hon's Honey Marketplace and all its products are handcrafted and whipped up by women survivors of abuse, addiction, poverty, trafficking and other trauma who are rebuilding their lives one step at a time. Employees call the experience working at Hon's life-changing."The main thing is it's a safe place for women," said Kathy Kempa, who is a manager of infused honey at Hon's and works in production, making infused honey.Kempa is recovering from substance abuse and now has a job, a car, an apartment and a new outlook on life."I have a car because of them through the car match program. I'm on my way to being a homeowner because of them, and (it's) just giving me an opportunity to work to help provide for my family. I've also become a peer recovery specialist, so I can also help them and guide them in the right direction of where they can go for rehab or recovery or just to come in and start the classes," Kempa said. "It's so many different areas to help women get back into society, to help them, just to help them get their life, to get their peace of mind back. It's amazing.""Drink at the Well" is the umbrella nonprofit organization under which Hon's Honey operates. "There's real trauma and real poverty and real, like, severely marginalized people, groups here are that are simply just not being recognized," manager Aigail Erickson said.Latoya Cabos, a barista at Hon's, said her life has transformed in the six years she has been a part of the well."They gave me the opportunity of having a job, they provided child care for me, because I didn't have child care, so I was able to work," Cabos said.For more information about the coffee shop and how you can help support them, visit the following website.

A Baltimore, Maryland, coffee shop does more than specialize in lattes, honey, candles, mugs and self-care, body and handmade products.

and all its products are handcrafted and whipped up by women survivors of abuse, addiction, poverty, trafficking and other trauma who are rebuilding their lives one step at a time. Employees call the experience working at Hon's life-changing.

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"The main thing is it's a safe place for women," said Kathy Kempa, who is a manager of infused honey at Hon's and works in production, making infused honey.

Kempa is recovering from substance abuse and now has a job, a car, an apartment and a new outlook on life.

"I have a car because of them through the car match program. I'm on my way to being a homeowner because of them, and (it's) just giving me an opportunity to work to help provide for my family. I've also become a peer recovery specialist, so I can also help them and guide them in the right direction of where they can go for rehab or recovery or just to come in and start the classes," Kempa said. "It's so many different areas to help women get back into society, to help them, just to help them get their life, to get their peace of mind back. It's amazing."

"" is the umbrella nonprofit organization under which Hon's Honey operates.

"There's real trauma and real poverty and real, like, severely marginalized people, groups here are that are simply just not being recognized," manager Aigail Erickson said.

kathy kempa, hons honey
WBAL

Latoya Cabos, a barista at Hon's, said her life has transformed in the six years she has been a part of the well.

"They gave me the opportunity of having a job, they provided child care for me, because I didn't have child care, so I was able to work," Cabos said.

For more information about the coffee shop and how you can help support them, visit the following .

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