Please help BB keep her home and her livelihood and help Seattle keep our oldest Ethiopian restaurant!

I have been a customer of BB’s for decades, and sharing a family-style feast at Meskel has been a prized family tradition as we have celebrated birthdays, graduations, and other special occasions. BB’s warm and joyful greetings are something we have come to treasure. Now BB is struggling. She is about to lose her home and livelihood, and Seattle is about to lose another establishment that builds up the heart of our community. BB and her family deserve better, and we all do. I set up this GoFundMe to help BB secure her future, knowing she wants to hang on to her home and livelihood, but that no matter what, after serving Seattle for over 30 years, she should not be forced to take on more debt, move from her home, or retire until she is ready.

For 30 years, BB has shared traditional Ethiopian food and hospitality with our community, all while raising two children. BB and her family lived on one floor of the restaurant, and she worked on the other. How she managed is a heroic journey in itself. Her son, Abam, is disabled with high needs, and for nearly 16 years, BB cared for him at home, with no help from the state until his needs were beyond her capacity to meet. When his condition worsened, she dedicated herself to finding the best assisted living possible and advocated to get him the care he needed. She sees her son regularly and is on 24/7 call should he need anything.

BB;s daughter Sarendum has been a big part of Meskel. BB helped as she could with tuition and her daughter is now employed in another state, but 100% supportive of her mom.

In the past year, when we have visited Meskel, it seems that BB is doing everything: greeting customers, preparing food, taking phone orders, and serving. My heart sank when I saw a for-sale sign in front of the restaurant. I spoke with BB, and she explained that the COVID shutdown caused a slowing of patronage, a bitter divorce left her even more destitute, and legal expenses and long illness furthered her challenges. Due to her mortgage, rising real estate taxes, and climbing food costs, BB has been forced to put both her home and business up for sale. Throughout the years, she has had to borrow over $300,000 from family and friends to keep her business going and to help her children. Her religious belief is that one cannot die in debt to family, so bankruptcy is not possible. If she sells, she will have lost all she’s built up in her lifetime, her home, and her livelihood, and will likely be forced to live further from her son and reset her life entirely.

Let’s try and set this right, let’s not give up on our neighbor BB who has lived and worked in our community and made it a better place for decades. My goal is to help alleviate BB’s debts and help her meet expenses so that she can manage her future without being forced out of her business and home.