Adventure Lodging
The Progress Fund is able to be flexible with trail-town businesses, so the offseason is not a burden on the business owner because the loan payment is smaller. I have not come across a bank that has had the flexibility of The Progress Fund.
People
Amid a gorgeous stretch of the Great Allegheny Passage, Meyersdale is a natural trail town–except for the steep hill and active rail line between the trail and the town. The Progress Fund saw the disconnect, and in 2014 bought three lots near the trailhead and razed the buildings to prepare for redevelopment. Eight years later, Meyersdale native Michael Rhoten was biking the GAP and noted a for sale sign. Michael, a real estate manager, saw the potential for vacation rentals and bought the lots from The Progress Fund.
Progress
Michael and his wife, Kathleen, put a customized Airstream trailer on one lot and set out to add a tiny house as another overnight accommodation for GAP riders. They knew that The Progress Fund also does small business lending as part of its nonprofit mission, so they applied and received a $40,000 loan.
Impact
Michael and Kathleen found a tiny house built by a vo-tech school, securing a fair price while supporting students’ careers. The tiny home now provides private, May through October lodging across the street from the trailhead. That widens the universe of travelers who overnight in Meyersdale and roll down the hill to enrich the shops downtown. “There wouldn’t be the amount of restaurants, there wouldn’t be the ice cream shops, the coffee shops or all the short-term lodging if it wasn’t for the GAP,” says Michael. “I love my town, and I love what the GAP brings to the town.”
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