A New Chapter Begins

I mentioned recently that I quit my job with Eat ’n Park after 23 years. Naturally, a lot of you have been wondering where I’m headed next. Well… now I can finally say it.

I decided to buy my own restaurant.

We closed today. It’s official. I am the proud owner of…

Actually, let me start over.

This whole process has been a long one. And when I say long, I mean eight months. And like most questionable life decisions, it started as a joke. A whim.

On July 8th, I saw a Facebook post about a restaurant for sale. I shared it with Lindsey and my friend Brian and joked that we should buy it. But then I started actually looking at it. Thinking about it. Two days later, I emailed the realtor for more information.

He replied that he’d be happy to share details — but first, I had to sign an NDA.

That’s when things started to feel real.

Once I got the information, I went through everything and found myself getting genuinely excited. Over the next few days, the realtor and I exchanged a lot of emails as he answered my endless questions. Around the same time, I reached out to the bank to ask about a business loan.

To my surprise, they called immediately and set up a meeting.

I fully expected to walk into that meeting and have someone look at me like I had completely lost my mind. Instead, the opposite happened. He was excited. He believed this was a real possibility. Before I knew it, I was meeting with a company that works with the Small Business Administration, and suddenly this wasn’t just an idea anymore.

During all of this, I told almost no one what I was doing. Not even Lindsey.

Oddly enough, I did tell Payton and Logan. Not all the details — just that I was thinking about buying a restaurant and that they absolutely could not tell anyone. Somehow, they actually kept the secret. a couple of weeks, I scheduled a walkthrough with the realtor and the owner. That’s when I finally told Lindsey. I went over the financials, explained what the bank said, and told her I was going to look at the place. She was… cautiously on board.

I knew the dining room had been remodeled and looked great, but I was nervous about the back of the house. When the owner took me back there, though, I was blown away. It was much nicer than I expected.

That was the moment I knew. I was doing this.

The biggest hurdle was coming up with the 10% required for the SBA loan. I didn’t want to touch my 401(k), but it was on the table. I even started thinking I might need a partner.

Then something amazing happened.

Lindsey got a text from her mom saying we should buy the exact restaurant I was already looking at. When Lindsey told her I was already in the process, her mom offered to help financially. That belief and support changed everything.

I made an offer. There was some negotiation. Eventually, we agreed on a price.

From there, things moved fast — and then slow — and then fast again. Meetings with lawyers. More meetings with the bank. Submitting what felt like every document that has ever existed about me. Then the government shutdown happened, the SBA got backed up, and we waited.

And waited.

Eventually, things started moving again. Vendors were transferred. Accounts were set up. Tax stuff was figured out. And finally…

We’re done.

The papers are signed.

I am officially the new owner of the Corner Coffee Shoppe — a Johnstown staple for more than 70 years. I’m incredibly proud to be part of its story and hope you’ll stop in sometime and check it out.

I couldn’t have gotten here without the help of so many people: Sean, Hunter, Broc, Brian, the folks at Innovative Financial Solutions, Lee, the vendors who have been so supportive during the transition, Jason, Steven — and probably a few others I’m forgetting. 

A big thank you to John & Natalie for doing an amazing job the last fourteen years. I will do my best to live up to your legacy. 

But most importantly, my family.

Debbie — thank you for believing in me and helping make this possible. Your confidence in me pushed me forward more than you know.

Payton and Logan — you two have been more excited about this than just about anyone. You officially have permission to tell everyone now. And yes, you can work there when you’re old enough.

And Lindsey — thank you for taking this leap with me. I know this is a huge change, and I know change isn’t exactly your favorite thing. This won’t be easy, but I couldn’t do it without you.