Customers bail out Philadelphia business overwhelmed by Groupon deal

A Philadelphia business on the verge of closing after it lost $10,000 from a Groupon has been saved by its customers.

“Our business is saved,” Food for All owner Amy Kunkle told NewsWorks this afternoon. She still can’t get over the overwhelming support that she has received in the past week. “It’s an amazing story. Basically, my customers saved this business.”

Kunkle announced on Jan 11 that the specialty food and deli was closing. In the days that followed customers began offering help through small loans, marketing and even volunteering to staff the store.

Anne Marie Dunphy, a customer who has a background as a CFO, suggested Kunkle provide a way for customers to channel their goodwill. An emergency fund drive was announced with an overall target of $50,000 in loans. As of this evening, Kunkle said, more than two-dozen people have stepped forward and helped her surpass that goal.

Kunkle who has already sold nearly two-thirds of the store’s food inventory, said the store will be closed for two weeks to re-stock. She said Food for All will have a grand reopening on Feb 10 with an expanded deli menu and a new product mix.

NewsWorks will have a complete story tomorrow that will detail why she decided to try Groupon last year and how loan with her customers was structured.