Jimmy & Bekah's Diner Dream
Donation protected
This GoFundMe campaign is all about helping James and Rebekah Kimball with a simple dream and a great opportunity. On January 1st of 2016, they will be purchasing The Gathering, a busy little diner in the rural village of Moravia, New York .
Most of Jimmy and Bekah’s small life savings (including the gift money they received from friends and family for their wedding in May of this year) will go towards the down payment on the diner, leaving them with precious little money for the many other expenses of taking over and operating a small business.
These two young folks (James is 21, and Bekah is 20) are hard workers, they are financially responsible, and they know the diner business pretty well. Nobody who knows them doubts that they will succeed with the diner. But the reality of the situation is that they really could use some financial help here at the start of their diner dream.
If you live in or around Moravia, and you’ve eaten at The Gathering, chances are that you know Jimmy and Bekah. You know they are two responsible young adults, and you know The Gathering as a great little small-town diner. This GoFundMe campaign is your opportunity to encourage and truly support a couple of local “kids” as they endeavor to be an important part of the local economy of our town.
If you have never been to The Gathering, I’m sorry to say that you’re missing out on the down-to-earth, simple pleasures of this small-town diner. If you are ever in the area, make it a point to stop in for a good meal (breakfast or lunch). Moravia is a nice community and the beautiful Fillmore Glenn State Park is pretty much right next to Jimmy & Beckah’s diner. In fact, they will be changing the name of the diner from “The Gathering” to Glenside Diner.
Even if you don’t live in the Moravia area, I hope you will see the beauty of Jimmy and Bekah’s diner dream. I hope you will be encouraged by it, and that you will want to help and encourage them with a small gift. Think of it as making a little blessing-investment in something good and positive in a world full of so much bad news, because that’s exactly what your gift will be.
Some Specifics—
This campaign has been created by Jimmy’s dad (my name is Herrick Kimball). It turns out that my son and new daughter-in-law don’t feel right about asking people for money to help them, even though they know they need the help. Well, that in itself gives you some insight into the character of this couple.
But I have a different perspective. I know they’re going to need more money than they have to get off to a good start. Besides that, I know that Jimmy and Bekah’s diner dream is a good and endearing one. I firmly believe that there are a lot of good folks (Moravia locals and otherwise) who would love to play a part in this young couple’s dream. I know this because, if Jimmy and Bekah were your children, and you told me this story, and you created a GoFundme campaign, I would donate to it in a heartbeat.
With that in mind, if you’d like to know some more details, here we go…
Jimmy’s Resume—
Jimmy got his start in the food business helping his mom, Marlene, with her farm-market bread baking business back when he was 10 years old. He baked cookies for the market, and got a lot of positive feedback from his customers.
After working for three different local farmers at various farm jobs when they needed a hand, Jimmy got a job washing dishes at The Gathering when he was 15 years old. Soon thereafter, he was learning to cook, and has been developing his cooking skills ever since.
In addition to working at The Gathering, Jimmy worked a year at The Boatyard Grill , a popular, high-end restaurant in Ithaca, NY. From there he landed a job at the world-famous Krebs in Skaneateles, NY. He put in a lot of long hours and late nights working in those restaurants. He made a lot of good friends. He gained a lot of cooking skills. And he learned about the restaurant business along the way. He is now working back at The Gathering, looking ahead to January first of next year, when he and Bekah will be working together to make their diner dream a success.
Bekah’s Resume—
Bekah’s parents, Joe and Amy Grobelny, started The Gathering nine years ago. Bekah pretty much grew up in the diner business. She started bussing tables when she was 14, and went from there to waiting tables and helping in other ways with the diner. Her sister and brothers also worked in the family business.
Bekah and James first met when he was 6 years old and she was 5. They started dating 5 years ago and, as noted above, were married earlier this year.
Carrying On A Family Tradition—
It’s worth mentioning here that Bekah’s father, Joe, also grew up in the diner business. His parents ran The Chalet restaurant just outside of Moravia from 1969 to 1981, and Joe started working there when he was 11 years old. People around these parts still talk about what good pies Joe’s grandmother, Evelyn Grobelny, used to make at The Chalet. Amazingly, Joe’s dad was also a home builder back then, and Joe is actually a talented cabinet maker. That’s the work he’s going back to after the diner is sold. Amy started working at The Chalet when she was 15 years old.
When Joe and Amy decided that they wanted to sell The Gathering a few months ago, they had an out-of-town cash buyer. But then James and Bekah expressed an interest in taking over the family business. Joe and Amy liked the idea.
The only problem is that James and Bekah don’t have the money to buy the place (not even close). And no bank is going to loan to a young couple with no financial wherewithal. And the “Bank of Dad” (that’s me) sure doesn’t have the money to lend. So, the solution to the problem is that Joe and Amy are taking a small down payment and letting Jimmy & Bekah make monthly payments. See what I mean about this being a great opportunity?
What Your Gift Will Be Used For—
This GoFundme campaign will run until December 31, 2015. I’m hoping it will raise $10,000. GoFundMe will give the money directly to Jimmy and Bekah (it doesn’t go to me first).
Gifts received here will be used by Jimmy & Bekah for some kitchen equipment upgrades, a new point-of-sale ordering system, some small remodeling work needed to better organize the kitchen and storage areas, and some cosmetic improvements to the dining area. The parking lot needs work too. And there are all sorts of other unexpected expenses that will surely crop up, especially at the start.
And Finally…
So that’s the story of Jimmy & Bekah’s diner dream. If you know anything about owning (or even just working in) a food service business you know it is a LOT of work. And nobody get’s rich running a small-town diner. But if it’s run well, it can pay the bills and support a family. Besides that, a good local diner can play an important role in the daily llife of a small rural community.
If you can see the goodness in this young couple’s diner dream, and you would like to play a tangible part in getting them off to a good start, your donation of any amount will be GREATLY appreciated.
And if you have the opportunity to stop on by the new Glenside Diner (Jimmy & Bekah’s place) in Moravia, New York, staring next January, I hope you will make it a point to do so. Jimmy and Bekah would love to see you and to know that you were one of the special folks who contributed to helping make their diner dream a success.
Most of Jimmy and Bekah’s small life savings (including the gift money they received from friends and family for their wedding in May of this year) will go towards the down payment on the diner, leaving them with precious little money for the many other expenses of taking over and operating a small business.
These two young folks (James is 21, and Bekah is 20) are hard workers, they are financially responsible, and they know the diner business pretty well. Nobody who knows them doubts that they will succeed with the diner. But the reality of the situation is that they really could use some financial help here at the start of their diner dream.
If you live in or around Moravia, and you’ve eaten at The Gathering, chances are that you know Jimmy and Bekah. You know they are two responsible young adults, and you know The Gathering as a great little small-town diner. This GoFundMe campaign is your opportunity to encourage and truly support a couple of local “kids” as they endeavor to be an important part of the local economy of our town.
If you have never been to The Gathering, I’m sorry to say that you’re missing out on the down-to-earth, simple pleasures of this small-town diner. If you are ever in the area, make it a point to stop in for a good meal (breakfast or lunch). Moravia is a nice community and the beautiful Fillmore Glenn State Park is pretty much right next to Jimmy & Beckah’s diner. In fact, they will be changing the name of the diner from “The Gathering” to Glenside Diner.
Even if you don’t live in the Moravia area, I hope you will see the beauty of Jimmy and Bekah’s diner dream. I hope you will be encouraged by it, and that you will want to help and encourage them with a small gift. Think of it as making a little blessing-investment in something good and positive in a world full of so much bad news, because that’s exactly what your gift will be.
Some Specifics—
This campaign has been created by Jimmy’s dad (my name is Herrick Kimball). It turns out that my son and new daughter-in-law don’t feel right about asking people for money to help them, even though they know they need the help. Well, that in itself gives you some insight into the character of this couple.
But I have a different perspective. I know they’re going to need more money than they have to get off to a good start. Besides that, I know that Jimmy and Bekah’s diner dream is a good and endearing one. I firmly believe that there are a lot of good folks (Moravia locals and otherwise) who would love to play a part in this young couple’s dream. I know this because, if Jimmy and Bekah were your children, and you told me this story, and you created a GoFundme campaign, I would donate to it in a heartbeat.
With that in mind, if you’d like to know some more details, here we go…
Jimmy’s Resume—
Jimmy got his start in the food business helping his mom, Marlene, with her farm-market bread baking business back when he was 10 years old. He baked cookies for the market, and got a lot of positive feedback from his customers.
After working for three different local farmers at various farm jobs when they needed a hand, Jimmy got a job washing dishes at The Gathering when he was 15 years old. Soon thereafter, he was learning to cook, and has been developing his cooking skills ever since.
In addition to working at The Gathering, Jimmy worked a year at The Boatyard Grill , a popular, high-end restaurant in Ithaca, NY. From there he landed a job at the world-famous Krebs in Skaneateles, NY. He put in a lot of long hours and late nights working in those restaurants. He made a lot of good friends. He gained a lot of cooking skills. And he learned about the restaurant business along the way. He is now working back at The Gathering, looking ahead to January first of next year, when he and Bekah will be working together to make their diner dream a success.
Bekah’s Resume—
Bekah’s parents, Joe and Amy Grobelny, started The Gathering nine years ago. Bekah pretty much grew up in the diner business. She started bussing tables when she was 14, and went from there to waiting tables and helping in other ways with the diner. Her sister and brothers also worked in the family business.
Bekah and James first met when he was 6 years old and she was 5. They started dating 5 years ago and, as noted above, were married earlier this year.
Carrying On A Family Tradition—
It’s worth mentioning here that Bekah’s father, Joe, also grew up in the diner business. His parents ran The Chalet restaurant just outside of Moravia from 1969 to 1981, and Joe started working there when he was 11 years old. People around these parts still talk about what good pies Joe’s grandmother, Evelyn Grobelny, used to make at The Chalet. Amazingly, Joe’s dad was also a home builder back then, and Joe is actually a talented cabinet maker. That’s the work he’s going back to after the diner is sold. Amy started working at The Chalet when she was 15 years old.
When Joe and Amy decided that they wanted to sell The Gathering a few months ago, they had an out-of-town cash buyer. But then James and Bekah expressed an interest in taking over the family business. Joe and Amy liked the idea.
The only problem is that James and Bekah don’t have the money to buy the place (not even close). And no bank is going to loan to a young couple with no financial wherewithal. And the “Bank of Dad” (that’s me) sure doesn’t have the money to lend. So, the solution to the problem is that Joe and Amy are taking a small down payment and letting Jimmy & Bekah make monthly payments. See what I mean about this being a great opportunity?
What Your Gift Will Be Used For—
This GoFundme campaign will run until December 31, 2015. I’m hoping it will raise $10,000. GoFundMe will give the money directly to Jimmy and Bekah (it doesn’t go to me first).
Gifts received here will be used by Jimmy & Bekah for some kitchen equipment upgrades, a new point-of-sale ordering system, some small remodeling work needed to better organize the kitchen and storage areas, and some cosmetic improvements to the dining area. The parking lot needs work too. And there are all sorts of other unexpected expenses that will surely crop up, especially at the start.
And Finally…
So that’s the story of Jimmy & Bekah’s diner dream. If you know anything about owning (or even just working in) a food service business you know it is a LOT of work. And nobody get’s rich running a small-town diner. But if it’s run well, it can pay the bills and support a family. Besides that, a good local diner can play an important role in the daily llife of a small rural community.
If you can see the goodness in this young couple’s diner dream, and you would like to play a tangible part in getting them off to a good start, your donation of any amount will be GREATLY appreciated.
And if you have the opportunity to stop on by the new Glenside Diner (Jimmy & Bekah’s place) in Moravia, New York, staring next January, I hope you will make it a point to do so. Jimmy and Bekah would love to see you and to know that you were one of the special folks who contributed to helping make their diner dream a success.
Organizer and beneficiary
Herrick Kimball
Organizer
Moravia, NY
James Kimball
Beneficiary