Darcy Heine, owner of Fiddlehead Fern Café, dreamed of opening a neighborhood cafe and gathering place in the Shaw neighborhood on the site of an abandoned gas station.
She was looking for funds to use for a build-out of her restaurant, equipment, and furniture, as well as working capital. However, traditional banks and lenders don't typically lend to start-up businesses.
After getting rejected by traditional funding sources, Darcy found Justine PETERSEN.
“Darcy Heine, owner of Fiddlehead Fern Café, is a 4th generation and lifelong resident of the Shaw Neighborhood. Her passion for the community is what the Café has been built upon. Darcy has a background in both photography and restaurant management. In 2012, after finishing her BFA and managing a small neighborhood cafe in Lafayette Square, she realized how important it is for a neighborhood to have a place to gather.”
The loan from Justine Petersen allowed her to create the space she had always envisioned. She was also able to get the proper equipment to run the business efficiently and effectively, and have working capital to get them through the first few months of having a new business open.
Owner Darcy Heine
Built on the site of a long abandoned gas station, Fiddlehead Fern Café is committed to both the physical and social revitalization of the Shaw community. What was once an empty corner in the middle of a residential neighborhood is now a welcoming and lively place for people to gather. Whether working, studying, visiting with friends and family, meeting neighbors, or enjoying live music, there is a place for all at Fiddlehead Fern Cafe.
Justine PETERSEN is proud to have helped put together such a strong pillar in this community and can't wait for them to continue to succeed.
Justine PETERSEN is a member of the St. Louis CDFI Coalition, a partnership among eight CDFIs that offer an array of capital, development, and consulting services and share a common mission to empower a comprehensively healthy St. Louis community through support for nonprofits, small businesses, and communities facing disinvestment.
