Save Our Business, Save Our Family
Donation protected
My family and I are the owners of Escape My Reality a locally family-owned escape room center and this is our last resort to save our business and my family.
Our business, Escape My Reality, is an escape room center located in Stroudsburg. We are are a family of six adults, myself, my brother, my two sisters, my mother, and my brother-in-law. After investing in a failed house flipping project which is on the verge of making us homeless, we took our last savings and opened a truly exciting unique family fun experience. Our business started out with many hurdles due to contractor and ADA issues in the beginning; after many battles we were able to open. In the last year, we have hosted many local organizations and non-profit businesses including creating an escape room for the blind (as a request from the Monroe County Center For Vision Loss), and a specially designed game for Burnley Workshop of the Poconos.
We have done everything the government has asked of us and filed the proper paperwork. Today we received a denial letter from the SBA Disaster Loan program because my credit score does not qualify, even though the SBA originally stated that credit didn’t matter. Since our business is barely a year old, as with many new businesses, my family did not take actual paychecks; We did not profit this year, which puts us in a gray area. The government instilled regulations in there such as having good credit scores which have left us with no hope of obtaining help from them.
Right now, we are out of options. The government has ordered us closed and is also refusing to help us stay in business. We are at the point where we are considering opening against the governor's orders. Escape rooms are a unique indoor experience in which we are able to obey the CDC regulations. We are able to offer private games just for small groups and limit any contact between employees and customers. After each game, we will completely sanitize the game rooms. We are not sure if this is the correct step to take, but it seems like the only step to avoid homelessness and save the well-being of my family.
Please Help Our Family!
#SmallBusinessRelief
Our business, Escape My Reality, is an escape room center located in Stroudsburg. We are are a family of six adults, myself, my brother, my two sisters, my mother, and my brother-in-law. After investing in a failed house flipping project which is on the verge of making us homeless, we took our last savings and opened a truly exciting unique family fun experience. Our business started out with many hurdles due to contractor and ADA issues in the beginning; after many battles we were able to open. In the last year, we have hosted many local organizations and non-profit businesses including creating an escape room for the blind (as a request from the Monroe County Center For Vision Loss), and a specially designed game for Burnley Workshop of the Poconos.
We have done everything the government has asked of us and filed the proper paperwork. Today we received a denial letter from the SBA Disaster Loan program because my credit score does not qualify, even though the SBA originally stated that credit didn’t matter. Since our business is barely a year old, as with many new businesses, my family did not take actual paychecks; We did not profit this year, which puts us in a gray area. The government instilled regulations in there such as having good credit scores which have left us with no hope of obtaining help from them.
Right now, we are out of options. The government has ordered us closed and is also refusing to help us stay in business. We are at the point where we are considering opening against the governor's orders. Escape rooms are a unique indoor experience in which we are able to obey the CDC regulations. We are able to offer private games just for small groups and limit any contact between employees and customers. After each game, we will completely sanitize the game rooms. We are not sure if this is the correct step to take, but it seems like the only step to avoid homelessness and save the well-being of my family.
Please Help Our Family!
#SmallBusinessRelief
Organizer
Rory S. Gerstler
Organizer
Barrett Township, PA
