WEST, Texas (KXXV) — For over 40 years, the Czech Stop has opened its doors to customers.
"People know West," Czech Stop shopper Laura Hall said. "It's like, "Oh, you're going to Dallas—you gotta stop in West to get the Kolaches."
Laura Hall and her mother, Geneva Bortel, are regulars at the Czech Stop in West. For decades, their family has stopped at the Czech Stop time and time again.
"I remember being in here when I was a kid, and they used to have Czech words above the cases," Hall said. "I remember my stepdad spoke Czech. And so he would, you know, like, point out the word and pronounce it and be like, that's how you say that and that sort of thing."
This is the story for many Czech stoppers. Store manager Anissa Adamson said their customers are near, far, and sometimes out of the country.
Adamson said the bakery's impact on the community is hard to find, and while customers rave about their kolaches, Adamson said their love goes beyond the bakery.
"We care about our customers," Czech Stop store manager Anissa Adamson said. "I mean, we wait on our customers. They are to buy a product. But I mean, if they have something else going on, cars broken down, or something else, we're going to go the extra mile coming because that's what you do."
That care starts in the kitchen. Adamson said the bakery can sell tens of thousands of fresh kolaches daily.
"We have the kolaches, we also have the deli. We also have all the cakes, all the pies, and all the candies," Adamson said. "So we use a lot of stuff for that. On a busy weekend, we're going to sell about two pounds."
Hall and her mother tell me it's the hard work and great customer service that add to their list of memories at the Czech Stop.
"It's hard to describe how much bigger it is than just a sort of stop on the road. It's a piece of our collective history," Hall said.
