A loan helped a women-owned business overcome challenges posed by the COVID-19 crisis.


Julie's story

I moved to Colorado Springs 2007 and immediately fell in love with our little downtown. I knew I wanted to contribute to our sense of community and give people a place to feel at home.

Today, I am within a month of opening! It has been an extremely challenging year and I have thought about giving up multiple times. I persevered through the worst parts of construction cost increases, COVID delays and other unforeseen issues.

I have hired a great group of people that love our city as much as I do and have a positive, embracing energy to communicate our love to our clientele.

Our goal is to create a beautiful space for people in our community to spend time with family and friends in the heart of our city.

I grew up in West Chester, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati. Cookie cutter homes and chain restaurants and store populated every strip mall. I did not know anyone who owned their own shop and did not know that was a possibility until moving away from that space.

When I was a teacher, I had a class that struggled to learn in the traditional way. I researched different tools I could use to support the class as a whole as well as individual students. I changed the entire classroom into an online learning and collaborate learning model. My students were able to access content much differently than in previous settings.

Today, I am working to build The Garden quite literally from the ground up! We are in the construction phase currently, and I've hired my staff. I am ready for this!

My dreams for the future include providing a space for my community to connect, learn and grow. I am sure The Garden is only the beginning!


This loan is special because:

It helps this business to overcome the challenges posed by the COVID-19 crisis.



Loan details


About The Garden

Industry: Food
Years in operation: 3 years - 5 years
Website: facebook.com

Follow:

Lenders and lending teams




Loan details