Gauntlet Asks For Help During Covid-19 Crisis

Gauntlet Food and Games in Angola has been in business since May 2015. We are very community driven, and serve the city of Angola, Trine University, and Steuben County and many other surrounding areas. We are proud to give a safe place and a get away to so many people in our community that we love. There are countless people that we can thank for our very existence. Admittedly, it hasn't been an easy one. We have fought to keep the doors open several times. Our community keeps us fighting and for that I refuse to give up. When I started Gauntlet, we literally had zero money. My wife even begged me to wait for a year or two to build capital, but I was too stubborn to wait...I knew our community needed us. So I sold off most of my prized magic collection and started down a road that I would have never imagined I'd still be on today. We have had a lot of adventures, and I wouldnt trade any of them for the world. The last 5 years has undoubtedly been the hardest, and absolutely the best of my life so far. As many of you know, we acquired some tax debt over the years, nobody's fault but my own. We got bigger faster than I was ready for. We have made a bit of headway on all that and we are very close to righting the ship, then Covid-19 hit us hard. If things stay on this track, we will be permanently closed by April 30th. We simply dont have the savings required for a 30 plus day shutdown. Also, as we have tax debt, we are unable to get government backed loans to bail us out. With the exception of tax debt, and a small credit card, we are virtually debt free. Monthly payments are all we have to maintain through this. We need about $2500 a month to keep our space and maintain essentials I only have 1 rule...do NOT donate a single dime if it hurts you or your family in ANY way. Not only is the unethical, but it's not what we built...its not the Gauntlet way. #SmallBusinessRelief If we raise $17000, it pays for 2 months of bills and eliminates our tax debt. That would allow us to hire 2 employees and open the Waterloo store. I cannot tell you how humbling it is to have to ask our community for help. This is probably the hardest thing I have ever wrote. We love you all, and even if we dont meet our goals, we will do everything we can to keep a game store ( and a killer restaurant! ) in the Angola area! Thanks for this, and for the last 5 years! Jeremy