Sunny Days
Donation protected
I still believe, but I need your support to continue.
The amount donated = gift certificate in the same amount back to you!
For those of you who aren’t aware of the back story…
I (Deirdre) conceived of the idea for Sunny Days in the fall of 2013 – a few months before The Commons construction project was (scheduled) to be completed. This corner – “our corner” – which is the very first thing many people see when they enter downtown Ithaca, had sat empty for too long. As someone who LOVES Ithaca, who moved back after being gone for more than 20 years (for college and career) to raise my son here, I was excited to create a beautiful, vibrant space that would help others learn about, explore, and celebrate all that’s amazing about this place that I feel lucky to call home. So I convinced my reluctant husband, who loves me and works hard every day to support my dream, to come along for the journey, and here we are almost 3 years later.
I didn’t know about the construction delays until the business plan (developed over several months with many reviewers) was completed, the financing secured based on that plan, and the lease signed. It was too late to back out. I knew the delays would be challenging, but I had no way of knowing at the time just how challenging it would be. The community was (understandably) frustrated and there was a lot of negativity focused on downtown at that time. Slowly, gradually, people are starting to come back, but meanwhile our cash flow took a hard hit. I planned that it would take several years for a new business to get on solid footing when I started, and I accounted for this when determining how much financing I would need, but not knowing about the delays at the time, I couldn’t possibly have accounted for the dramatic impact it would have. Getting additional financing from the banks is not an option.
This brings me to today, and the decision to come to you for support. It’s exhausting working our full-time jobs while running a business, but I persist because…
- Every year the business grows and improves as more and more people discover we are here.
- Every day someone new finds us (or a repeat customers comes in) and expresses genuine excitement or gratitude about what we are doing and offering; these moments are SO appreciated and give us the energy we need to keep going as much as the sales do.
- I am still driven by the mission to help visitors have the best experience possible in our beloved city; many only have a day or two and we don’t want them to waste a moment trying to figure out where to go or what to do, they can just get to enjoying it all and in our store find something to help preserve the memory.
- I want to continue to be a resource for locals who feel like I do about Ithaca and enjoy giving their friends and family regionally-focused gifts; we’re often the go-to place for “host/hostess” gifts.
- Our makers are awesome and should continue to have this venue for offering their amazing products.
- The button-making (a small, simple part of what we do) is a fun and safe activity (and often a therapeutic outlet) for adults and kids alike.
- Our focus on positivity is important, especially now!
- Keeping it small and local is critical to the vitality of our urban core and financial well-being of our community.
- We provide a living wage job for Angie – our incredible, dedicated employee.
- This corner should not be empty again.
I’m not trying to get rich, I just want to keep going, doing these things we do. So this brings me to my request of you… If you also believe that Sunny Days should stick around, please help me recoup the financing that was drained by 18 months of construction delays. Every penny given will be reinvested in the business. In return for your donation, I will happily give you the same amount back in the form of a gift certificate. I’m basically asking you to make an investment now in the future of Sunny Days. You’d be contributing to a “loan” that matches the original amount I took out to get started, and I will pay you back for your portion of the loan when you come in to use your gift certificate. My most heartfelt thank you in advance for anything you’re able to do.
If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to ask!
- Deirdre
The amount donated = gift certificate in the same amount back to you!
For those of you who aren’t aware of the back story…
I (Deirdre) conceived of the idea for Sunny Days in the fall of 2013 – a few months before The Commons construction project was (scheduled) to be completed. This corner – “our corner” – which is the very first thing many people see when they enter downtown Ithaca, had sat empty for too long. As someone who LOVES Ithaca, who moved back after being gone for more than 20 years (for college and career) to raise my son here, I was excited to create a beautiful, vibrant space that would help others learn about, explore, and celebrate all that’s amazing about this place that I feel lucky to call home. So I convinced my reluctant husband, who loves me and works hard every day to support my dream, to come along for the journey, and here we are almost 3 years later.
I didn’t know about the construction delays until the business plan (developed over several months with many reviewers) was completed, the financing secured based on that plan, and the lease signed. It was too late to back out. I knew the delays would be challenging, but I had no way of knowing at the time just how challenging it would be. The community was (understandably) frustrated and there was a lot of negativity focused on downtown at that time. Slowly, gradually, people are starting to come back, but meanwhile our cash flow took a hard hit. I planned that it would take several years for a new business to get on solid footing when I started, and I accounted for this when determining how much financing I would need, but not knowing about the delays at the time, I couldn’t possibly have accounted for the dramatic impact it would have. Getting additional financing from the banks is not an option.
This brings me to today, and the decision to come to you for support. It’s exhausting working our full-time jobs while running a business, but I persist because…
- Every year the business grows and improves as more and more people discover we are here.
- Every day someone new finds us (or a repeat customers comes in) and expresses genuine excitement or gratitude about what we are doing and offering; these moments are SO appreciated and give us the energy we need to keep going as much as the sales do.
- I am still driven by the mission to help visitors have the best experience possible in our beloved city; many only have a day or two and we don’t want them to waste a moment trying to figure out where to go or what to do, they can just get to enjoying it all and in our store find something to help preserve the memory.
- I want to continue to be a resource for locals who feel like I do about Ithaca and enjoy giving their friends and family regionally-focused gifts; we’re often the go-to place for “host/hostess” gifts.
- Our makers are awesome and should continue to have this venue for offering their amazing products.
- The button-making (a small, simple part of what we do) is a fun and safe activity (and often a therapeutic outlet) for adults and kids alike.
- Our focus on positivity is important, especially now!
- Keeping it small and local is critical to the vitality of our urban core and financial well-being of our community.
- We provide a living wage job for Angie – our incredible, dedicated employee.
- This corner should not be empty again.
I’m not trying to get rich, I just want to keep going, doing these things we do. So this brings me to my request of you… If you also believe that Sunny Days should stick around, please help me recoup the financing that was drained by 18 months of construction delays. Every penny given will be reinvested in the business. In return for your donation, I will happily give you the same amount back in the form of a gift certificate. I’m basically asking you to make an investment now in the future of Sunny Days. You’d be contributing to a “loan” that matches the original amount I took out to get started, and I will pay you back for your portion of the loan when you come in to use your gift certificate. My most heartfelt thank you in advance for anything you’re able to do.
If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to ask!
- Deirdre
Organizer
Deirdre Kurzweil
Organizer
Ithaca, NY
