When Tony Harvey's restaurant empire collapsed in 1988, his former partner Sharon Dixon bought the restaurant at 8th and Rogers. Dixon reopened as Mom's Kitchen and refocused on low-cost comfort food (including pot pies, crockpot casseroles, meat loaf, apple pie, and Jell-O.) The decor was described as "wacky and affectionate," including Fiesta Ware, vintage cereal boxes, action figures, drag queen waitresses, vintage TV themes, and cartoon murals by performer Holly Brown. Despite the kitsch appeal, Mom's was too far ahead of its time. It closed within a year and Mike & Anna's moved into its space.