Raising the bar: UnBAR Café paid off their Honeycomb loan in full ahead of schedule

UnBAR Café is a Cleveland café with a focus on alcohol-free socializing. The small business recently hit a new milestone by fully paying off their Honeycomb loan.

After 30+ years of executive level work in the Cleveland region, Melissa Hirsch opened UnBAR Café to provide an atmosphere of wellbeing, accompanied with locally-sourced baked goods, smoothies, and small plates.

Melissa’s Honeycomb campaign raised $30,675 from 25 community investors. Despite the challenges of 2020, she was able to use the funding to rehire all of her employees during COVID, expand her menu, and offer online ordering services.

UnBAR Café fully paid their investors early!

Following the months of UnBAR’S exciting expansion, Melissa took the opportunity to fully pay off her Honeycomb loan.

In a letter to community investors, Melissa wrote:

“UnBAR is sincerely grateful for the support of our Honeycomb campaign. Having these funds during the uncertainty of the pandemic kept us going and was instrumental in helping us keep the doors open. We are doing well with building our brand and capital reserves to grow and improve business operations. Thank you for believing in our vision.”

The success of UnBAR’s campaign allowed the café to fund their next steps. Unlike most business loans, Honeycomb Credit loans have no prepayment penalty, so entrepreneurs like Melissa have the opportunity to repay their community early.

A cup full of community

More than just a coffee shop, UnBAR is a community space where all are welcome. Recently, UnBar Café has hosted a variety of exciting events such as movie nights, Zumba classes and "A Course on Love.”

Melissa has been able to build upon her community by meeting like-minded small businesses owners through Honeycomb’s network. She has partnered with other Cleveland alums, including GO Buddha and Squash the Beef.

Congratulations to UnBAR Café and their community investors on hitting a new milestone. We look forward to seeing the Cleveland café continue to grow.

Build your community like UnBAR Café

Melissa was able to cultivate relationships with her customers and like-minded businesses by launching her crowdfunding campaign.

Honeycomb allows you to grow your small business with local dollars and excitement from your community. It’s a chance to turn your customers into brand advocates for years to come!

To learn more about Honeycomb crowdfunded loans for small businesses, visit www.honeycombcredit.com/grow and fill out the form below for more information!