Eloise & Peas
When Tori Gerding bought Ancora in 2013, she wanted the cafes to feel like home. And that’s because to Gerding, they were like home to her – she worked there right out of college before taking it over upon the original owners’ (Sue and George Krug) retirement.
“I spent my first couple years trying to rebuild the brand into the vision I saw for it, which was a more modern cafe vibe with in-house bakery, a full brunch menu, craft lattes, and an upbeat, cheerful atmosphere,” said Gerding.
It took some time for customers to really embrace the idea of Ancora being more than just a coffee shop, however. “Ancora existed for 20 years prior to my ownership, so thinking back to how naïve I was as a 23 year old thinking I could so easily change the identity of something so well known in Madison is comical now.”
To move Ancora in this new direction, Gerding had to make some moves – figuratively and literally. Ancora’s two locations on University Avenue and King Street had to move to new locations, though they did both remain on their same respective street.
The location on University moved because they needed more space to accommodate their new business plan, and the King Street location moved when they weren’t able to renew their lease. Gerding connected with Park Bank, a local bank with roots in the community, for her first business loan to help make her vision a reality. And from there, business began to take off.
“Our customer base really began to explode, and 2019 was our best year yet. Then, right as we were getting more comfortable with our new identity as a business, the pandemic hit, and we were forced to rethink everything.”
But if you thought that “rethinking everything” would mean slowing down, you must not know Tori Gerding. Because in August of 2020, Gerding nervously but optimistically decided to add a new location in the Maple Bluff north-side neighborhood.
“Opening a new location during a pandemic has been a crazy challenge, but my team and I were eyeing growth before the pandemic, and we really felt it important to stay the course, especially when the right location presented itself,” Gerding noted.
So with slowing down off the table as an option for how Ancora would adjust to the pandemic, what did change?
A better work-life balance for the team, more involved training, and an overall better understanding of their financials so they could add additional staff benefits and increase wages were all important changes the team at Ancora wanted to make a part of their new culture.
And of course, there’s adapting to the pandemic itself. And Gerding and her team have stayed busy. “Although we haven’t been closed during the pandemic (aside from holidays), we have had some extra time to work on improving our employee handbooks, training manuals, and managers’ financial reports.”
They have also made cafe improvements for workflow, including updating our payment systems, developing an online ordering system, and getting really efficient at to-go orders and curbside pickup.
“I’m really proud of how quickly my team adjusted and their attitudes. They have done an excellent job making our customers feel safe inside our cafes and taking care of the needs of our customers who aren’t yet able to be inside our cafes.”
Their success and growth during the pandemic was in no small part thanks to the Paycheck Protection Program, a Small Business Administration-backed loan program created to help businesses retain staff and stay open during the pandemic.
“I received my PPP loan very early compared to others I knew that had applied, and that was because the Park Bank team had been quick to answer any and all questions I had regarding how to apply, and which documents to gather,” Gerding said. “I worry I would have been overlooked at a larger bank. Getting that money in a timely manner was really vital to us being able to retain our staff and keep the doors open.”
Just as important to Gerding and her team as providing a welcoming atmosphere to their customers is their commitment to the community and giving back. Beginning in 2020, Ancora and her team began asking for participation from all team members in helping determine where donations and fundraising efforts would go.
Each team member got to choose a nonprofit where some donations would go, and if they felt comfortable, would write a description about why that organization was meaningful to them.
“It was really eye opening to learn about so many organizations I would never have heard of. My team is full of some really amazing humans with giant hearts.”
Madison is lucky to boast a number of great local coffee shops. Ancora Cafe + Bakery’s welcoming atmosphere, their speed and quality in pumping out delicious food and drinks, and the team’s energy and passion make them truly special – and well worth a trip to one of their great locations.
With convenient locations throughout Dane County, Park Bank blends financial technology with individualized, proactive service in order to help clients achieve their goals. We’ve grown considerably since our start as a small community bank of Park Street, and yet we’ve always understood that our success depends on the success of others. From individuals and families to nonprofits and businesses, Park Bank has over 50 years of experience bringing clients’ ambition to fruition. Learn more at ParkBank.com or call 608.278.2801 for more information.
