Four years into running Ida’s Sandwich Shop in Perry North, Erica Sumpter still feels the pressures of owning a small business.
“I dream about this stuff,” Sumpter said. “It’s constant, but it’s a good stress.”
When Sumpter and her wife, Charla Thomas, comprised the idea for Ida’s Sandwich Shop in 2018. Sumpter was in charge of making the business plan.
She has her own business consulting firm — Envision You — which made planning easier.
When it came to funding, Sumpter knew she needed help.
A loan from the Neighborhood Community Development Fund helped Sumpter get Ida’s Sandwich Shop off the ground in 2020, at the height of the covid pandemic. The sandwich shop on Perrysville Avenue opened in 2022.
“The Neighborhood Community Development Fund was very good during that time frame,” Sumpter said. “The main challenge was just trying to get through construction.”
On Friday morning, Ida’s Sandwich Shop celebrated receiving another loan for construction as they expand their business into a parlor next door — this time in the amount of $216,000 — from Pittsburgh-based nonprofit and community lender Neighborhood Community Development Fund, which provides loans to small businesses through federal and state grants.
On Friday, Ida’s expansion was highlighted by state representatives and organizations partnering with the Neighborhood Community Development Fund, and officials announced a broader state effort to provide more than $14 million in funding and assistance to small businesses across Pennsylvania.
State Rep. Lindsay Powell, D-Lawrenceville, said she was grateful to the state and for the partnerships between the Neighborhood Community Development Association, the Community Development Financial Initiative, and Historically Disadvantaged Business Assistance.
“There’s nothing like the pride that you have — the community member, or neighbors — being able to just walk down to a local sandwich shop,” Powell said. “Thank you for believing in small businesses… for believing our communities deserve beautiful spaces that we can all enjoy.”
For Sumpter, the money means being able to bring even more opportunities for community gathering and small businesses to Perry North.
“One of the biggest things we’ve learned of small businesses: you do not know what you do not know,” Sumpter said. “As your business grows, the financial commitments get bigger… and trusted guidance is essential to making that difference between simply having a great idea, and actually building a sustainable business.”
Sumpter said the parlor where Friday’s event took place will be an extension of the restaurant, but with more of a sit-down, cocktail bar feel. Her vision for the space includes plush couches, chess tables, TVs and pool tables.
“Our tagline is ‘Where culture, cocktails, and community meet,’” Sumpter said. “So we want to make sure all of that is filled up in one parlor.”
Sumpter said the loan will cover all of the construction costs for the expansion of Ida’s Sandwich Shop, which is expected to be completed in late October or early November.