ST. LOUIS -- It was tough for Cherokee Street business owner Angie Lee to enjoy the holidays. Two days after Christmas, she received a letter from her landlord's attorney, saying she was more than $7,000 behind on rent for Sweet Shears Barber and Beauty. That's the business she started 20 years ago.
"It's not a job, it's a career," said Lee. "And you can take care of your family off of this way of life.
But Lee admits it is more difficult than ever for family-owned businesses. Corporate competition has cut into her profits.
"Great Clips came along. Fantastic Sam's came along. A lot of the big chains came along, Sports Clips, Hair Saloon."
An eviction notice followed the attorney's letter, and Lee mentioned to one of her regular customers, Sam Coffey, that she might have to close. Coffey is co-owner of the Fortune Teller Bar across the street and he wanted to help Sweet Shears.
"Everyone deserves a second chance," said Coffey.
Coffey said he called in favors from people in the local film community and quickly organized a video shoot at Sweet Shears. That video was uploaded to GoFundMe, a crowd-sourcing website. In just a matter of hours over $1,000 was raised, including $50 from a member of Saturday Night Live.
"I quickly started reaching out to everyone that I knew," said Coffey, "including a woman that I was in a really terrible play with in high school named Cecily Strong, who is now one of the most outstanding members of Saturday Night Live."
Coffey's Fortune Teller Bar is planning a Thursday evening fundraiser from 5 to 7 p.m., with a portion of sales going to help Angie Lee pay her rent.
"I can't even explain how I feel right now," said Lee. "It's just a humbling and appreciative thing. If nothing else comes out of it, my story has been told."
"They gave our neighborhood a second chance by keeping their lights turned on in an otherwise dark and dilapidated neighborhood, when other people were afraid to come down here," said Coffey. "They gave our neighborhood a second chance at having the ability of being revitalized."
To learn more about the GoFundMe campaign for Sweet Shears Barber and Beauty, visit http://www.gofundme.com/k172is.
