Washington,

IA

Transcript

Cafe Dodici

Thanks to the SBA, historic Washington, Iowa is home to the fine dining restaurant, Café Dodici. I am Lorraine Williams. I am her niece, owners of Café Doldici. In 2004 we received an SBA loan that was pivotal to renovating a compromised 19th century building on our town square, and now home of our restaurant. This renovation encouraged the community to follow suit. Since we renovated our building and opened the restaurant we now have new streets, sidewalks, and signage around the town square and central park, a recently renovated bandstand and a $6 million dollar public library located on the square. Now we are a main street community utilizing hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant money and matching funds to continue removing metal facades and restoring historic buildings. Eighty percent of our restaurant's clientele is from outside of Washington, bringing in customers for all downtown businesses to appreciate. Owning my own business helps me make a difference. It gives me the opportunity to be the change I want to see. I enjoy mentoring employees and my greatest joy is working with my family. After living in Italy for 30 years and returning to my hometown, it was difficult to obtain financing for a start-up restaurant. Thanks to the SBA guaranteed loan, I was given a chance to start our business and be a catalyst for revitalization. I am a young entrepreneur and I am delighted that since establishing our business, Washington has become a vibrant community attracting more and more young professionals whose enthusiasm and fresh ideas contribute to our town's growth. Because our first business was so successful, it has allowed us to open a coffee shop and guest suite next to the restaurant. Thank you SBA for making our dream come true. Arrivederci.