The Souders spent $75 on the block building, $50 to stock it with groceries, and kept $25 in cash. Their store grew to include a service station in 1939 and an adjoining cafe in 1944, with a total of 10 employees. The store was open 7 days a week and maintained canned goods, meats, vegetables, and a few hardware items. One corner of the grocery store also housed the first post office in Hurst, which opened on February 1, 1949.
Emma's Cafe featured large 10-cent hamburgers with all the trimmings. It was a favorite coffee and lunch stop for DFW truckers. Emma Souder quit the cafe business in 1949, closed her grocery store in 1953, and went to work for the City of Hurst. Long-time Mayor of Hurst, Bill Souder, is the son of Richard and Emma Souder.