GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The holiday season and the Broadway Bar go hand-in-hand in Grand Rapids. December is the busiest time of year for the bar, and the time when they make the majority of their business.
However, this year, with indoor service for restaurants and bars still closed, the bar is hurting.
"We’re usually beat by the end of the year," said owner Cynthia Berrignton, "Now, we'd give anything just to work."
Berrington said this year has been "just tough." She is concerned how long the bar can stay open, without the business from this season. She has been part of the Broadway bar for 27 years. Every year, the bar is elaborately decorated for Christmas, which Berrington said takes about three weeks to completely set up.
But fellow Grand Rapids restaurant owners do not want to see the Broadway Bar fall. Friday, they started the "Raise the Bar" challenge, hoping to raise $50,000 for the bar for expenses through the end of winter.
"The worst thing that could happen, is we get to next summer, life’s back to normal, beyond the virus, and we’ve lost places like this," said Chris Andrus, owner of The Mitten Brewing Company, and helped organize the challenge, "None of us are competitors right now, we’re just trying to save our industry."
Friday afternoon, a GoFundMe page for the Broadway Bar has raised more than $18,000.
"It’s the only thing that’s anything in Grand Rapids at Christmas," said Jenna Arcidiacono, owner of Amore Trattoria and also helped organize the challenge, "You literally have to get a reservation in March to be here in December. That shows how much December means to them, as far as sales are concerned."
She went live on her Facebook page, challenging fans of the bar to donate what they may have spent on a visit to the Broadway Bar this year.
Even though many restaurants and bars are facing a challenging year, this group of owners said supporting one another supports the whole industry.
"We’re all in a terrible boat, sinking," said Arcidiacono, "but if we can’t help each other during this time, it’s not worth it."
One of the Broadway Bar owner's favorite movies is It's a Wonderful Life. Arcidiacono said their effort feels like "when they bring the money to George to help him out."
Berrington said this fundraiser will help keep their doors open, and gives her hope. She plans to keep the Christmas decorations up when they are able to safely welcome guests back inside the bar.
"Everybody coming together is unreal," said Berrington, "I can’t believe the guys coming down here, bigger owners. They’re helping us out. It’s really nice."
The retail, retention, and attraction specialist for the City of Grand Rapids, Richard App, said most of his work this year was about retention of businesses and keeping them afloat. Efforts like this fundraiser, shows the pride residents have in Grand Rapids.
"That’s really a Grand Rapids thing," said App, "We do that. We take care of our own. We're showing our grit, showing our innovation. You look at businesses and they way they’ve pivoted from doing completely inside sales to outside sales, curbside pickup, we know how to keep going."
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