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Kayla Miller, Covéll – Flowers, Espresso, Bakery & Gifts
Nothing in my life has been simple.
I’m not from Lebanon, I grew up in Laquey, but I’ve always been drawn to downtowns. Anywhere I go, that’s where I want to be. I love the feeling of walking down the street with a coffee in one hand and flowers in the other, popping into shops, seeing people, just soaking it all in. It’s always felt joyful, exciting, like a little piece of the city, even in a small town.
That’s what I wanted to create with Covell.
But I didn’t open this place just because I love flowers, though I do. I opened it because I needed something that would help me stay grounded. Something that would help me heal and stay connected to the community and myself.
I tell people I went through a period when I was “sick”. But, I suffered from postpartum psychosis. It hit me late, and it completely changed my life. I couldn’t be alone with my child. I couldn’t drive. I couldn’t even bathe my own child. My husband took care of me like I was the one who needed parenting. For seven months, I didn’t work. I didn’t feel like myself.
But that wasn’t the first time I’d had to find my way back to myself.
I dropped out of high school at 17 and moved to Springfield, thinking I was ready to be an adult. I wasn’t. I was working as best I could, scraping by, and eventually I realized that this isn’t who I want to be. At 19, I moved back and finished high school. I was older than everyone else, and it took swallowing my pride to walk into that building again. But I did it. I knew I had to do it the right way.
And I’ve carried that lesson ever since: when you know you want more for yourself, you go after it, even if it’s uncomfortable, even if it’s hard.
Covell came together from all the pieces of my life. I worked as a dental assistant for almost 15 years. I had a photography business. I baked macarons and cupcakes out of my kitchen. I didn’t know it then, but all of that experience was preparing me for this. I’d seen little flower-and-coffee shops in Europe and New York, and tucked those ideas away. My husband encouraged me to add drinks. I started with a little espresso machine and a few simple lattes. Then we added baked goods, vendors, and it kept growing.
The name Covell comes from my kids, the first parts of their names, put together in a way that felt a little French and full of heart. It’s cozy. It’s meaningful. It’s mine.
It hasn’t been easy. When the building next door caught fire, we had smoke damage. I found out I didn’t have the right insurance. That was a setback, but we scrubbed the walls, aired it out, and kept going.
Because this place, it’s not just a shop. It’s my healing. It’s everything I’ve overcome and everything I’ve built. It’s how I stay connected. It’s how I stay well.
I remember the first day I opened my original shop on Madison Avenue, I heard the train go by, looked out the window, and thought, I’ve arrived. I used to dream of owning a shop on Madison Avenue in New York City… and there I was, standing in my own little version of it in Lebanon, Missouri. I still have a drink on my menu called The Madison because of that moment, because it meant something. I’ve since moved to East Commercial Street, but that feeling? It’s still with me.
I am here. I am me. And this place, this life, is mine.
