OBSERVATORY HILL — Just four years after opening, Observatory Hill business Ida’s Sandwich Shop is expanding with a new full-service restaurant located right next door.
At an event held on Aug. 28, Ida’s announced the pending opening of The Parlor by Ida’s, with a goal of serving customers sometime later this year. The expansion was made possible by funding provided by the Neighborhood Community Development Fund (NCDF), a Northside non-profit that provides financing and assistance for projects such as small businesses, affordable housing, neighborhood commercial real estate and more.
“This space is going to be a great addition to the neighborhood,” said NCDF Executive Director Mark Masterson, “and I say this as a resident who lives two blocks away.”
Ida’s and the nonprofit have a history going back to the very beginning of the restaurant. The NCDF had previously provided funding for the opening of Ida’s Sandwich Shop in 2022.
“The Neighborhood Community Development Fund has been part of our journey since the beginning,” said Erica Sumpter, co-owner of Ida’s.
In particular, Sumpter thanked the NCDF not just for the financial support, but for the guidance and assistance they provided in creating a “substantial, sustainable business.”
“One of the biggest things we’ve learned as a small business is you do not know what you do not know,” she said, referencing the many unexpected challenges for which the NCDF was able to help.
In addition to the Ida’s announcement, the Aug. 28 event also served as a celebration of the Pennsylvania Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Network’s new Business Assistance Service Centers (BASC) and Small Business Microgrants programs, which are made possible thanks to $14.2 million in Historically Disadvantaged Business Assistance (HDBA) funding. The NCDF has received a grant to serve as a BASC for the region.
According to a press release from the CDFI Network, BASCs are a statewide network that assists entrepreneurs through no-cost one-on-one business counseling and planning.
“If you’re an entrepreneur, reach out to us or one of our other Business Assistance Support Centers across the Commonwealth,” said Masterson. “We want to build more businesses like this one, we want to build more jobs, more opportunity and we want neighborhoods that people want to be in, and this helps create that.”
Of the $14.2 million in HDBA funds, $5.84 million will go toward BASCs, and $8.45 million will go toward the Small Business Microgrant program, according to a press release from the Pennsylvania CDFI Network. The HDBA is made possible through a partnership between the Pennsylvania CDFI Network and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.
