The Barstool Fund - Miss Florence Diner
Up next: Miss Florence Diner (Florence, MA)
Miss Florence Diner near Northampton, MA is a landmark in itself and needs no other introduction for locals who have seen the place running ever since 1941. A part of the US National Register of Historic Places, Miss Flo's Diner was constructed by the Worcester Lunch Car Company.
Reader Email
The Miss Florence Diner is a 1941 Worcester Train Car Diner that has been in continuous operation since then. The Diner is the hub of our small little Village of Florence, which is part of the vibrant and dynamic Northampton, Massachusetts. I am proudly only the 4 owner of the old gal and have worked so very hard over the past 2 and a half years to bring her back to life. Owning a Diner is like having a HUGE extended family, you check on the folks who you havent seen in a few days, make care packages when they are not feeling well, attend weddings of some, celebrate birthdays, births and deaths of others.
The Pandemic has caused us to close to inside dining for over 12 weeks back in the Spring, we pivoted and did take out and delivery. I would drive to my regulars' homes and drop of meals so that I knew they would be eating for a couple of days. The hardest part of this all (other than financially) is worrying how my elderly customers are doing without as much interaction with the outside world.
Financially, this is just devastating to go through. Huge losses. I purchased the Diner in April of 2018, sinking my 401K, IRA and a lot of my savings into the Diner thinking Id be able to recover my investment pretty quickly - Boy, I was wrong and that was a big mistake. I learned that lesson the hard way :)
I cannot lose the Diner, I have invested so much of myself into every portion of her that I feel like i would just be a huge mess. I am sure everyone is sending along requests for help - but I really do need some help. Just to get me through the next couple of weeks, to be honest.
Thank you for listening to my story, if anything, it feels good to talk about my business in the positive sense. Much Love for doing this ~ Georgianna