CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Three years ago, Fannie's Cafe expanded to it's current space on the Northwest Side.
The popular neighborhood bakery took pride in its hand-crafted goods and the move was to designed to help the business grow.
But with the move into the space at 5040 W. Montrose Ave., came a lot of costly setbacks and struggles. In the first 18 months of opening at the new location, the bakery suffered through five major power outages and three plumbing system failures that caused the business to lose approximately $20,000. In addition to those struggles, the bakery was supplying goods to Treasure Island, that dropped their small vendors before going out of business.
During this time, Rybandt hoped to obtain a small business loan through a bank or the SBA to help stay afloat. But while she searched, the business fell behind on bills - rent, taxes, utilities.
With nowhere else to turn Rybandt has turned to the community. She launched a GoFundMe campaign on Jan. 23, asking for a total of $65,000 to help Fannie’s Cafe pay back rent to avoid eviction and payments to the State of Illinois on taxes owed. The money will also be used for utilities to avoid shut-offs.
As of Wednesday, the GoFundMe had raised over $26,000 of its $65,000 goal.
"There is so much more we want to do. We don't believe this is how the story ends for Fannie's and we don't want to say goodbye."