When a devastating fire destroyed Go Fish! Seafood in Reading, Berks County, business owner Heather Clark didn’t give up. She ended up rebuilding just a few miles away, in a space she purchased and renovated using an SBA 504 loan facilitated by Seedcopa. Then, just a few months after reopening, COVID-19 hit, shutting down eateries across Pennsylvania for months. Heather found herself facing yet another moment where resilience was essential to the survival of her business. So what happened?
Heather tells Women2Women Magazine, where she’s featured this month as the cover story for the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance publication, that Go Fish! is not only open and thriving… it’s now adding an events space upstairs. In addition, experiential classes including sushi rolling and more have been launched with resounding success. And the newly paved parking lot and patio that Heather set up during her COVID downtime have been welcome improvements for her customers.
Clark’s SBA 504 loan helped out during that downtime. The timing of Heather’s loan made her eligible for 6 months of covered payments, with no need to ever repay, due to the COVID relief measures in place for government-backed loans like hers and facilitated by Seedcopa + SeedcoDE.
“We feel lucky that we were able to triple our space affordably, using our SBA 504 loan before COVID-19 even hit,” Heather told Seedcopa + SeedcoDE when we last checked in with her. “I grew up in Bradford County in a little town called Rome, and I think growing up in a rural area forced me to be creative and innovative from the get-go.”
Look for Go Fish! to continue to thrive on South Hull Street in Sinking Spring, Berks County, PA. Congratulations, Heather!
Photo courtesy Go Fish!
