MOUNT VERNON, Md. — For two days straight, Cajou Creamery had a line down the block of people eagerly waiting to get a scoop of its unique ice cream and help keep the doors open.
“I've had so many great experiences here that I was like 'absolutely not like I'm going to do what I can to help them out,'" says Dwight Campbell.
Early Saturday morning, the owners of Cajou Creamery made a post on social mediasaying the business may have to close its doors for good after the weekend.
Shortly after that post, dozens of people showed up at the creamery, and then dozens turned into hundreds.
“I knew this would happen because this is what Baltimore is, you know, this is what Baltimore is," says Campbell.
Not only was the line out the door on Saturday but again on Sunday.
“We like what we do, and we love the city that were in; we want to build here; the only problem is that food companies tend not to get funding."
The folks in line say they want the business to stay open, including a group of college students who saw the post on social media.
“I’ve been coming out here; I've been in the area for the past few years. We are all students at MICA, and Cajou has been such a beautiful sort of pocket of the city that we have discovered," says Artie Sadahiro.
Kate Van Luben says they were proud to stand in a long line in front of the business; they say seeing so many people come to support an ice cream business on a cold day in the fall warms their heart.
“This is just such an important thing, and seeing this in this community is so exciting, and so I’m so happy to see this work, especially for a small business," says Kate Van Luben.
Dwight Campbell says the turnout over the weekend was more than he could have asked for from the community, and although they sold out of every flavor and every pint they had in stock.
Campbell says its just the beginning of getting back on track as a business.
“It gives us reprieve, it does, but the underlying problem is still there; you know, its funding for small businesses.”
What happened this weekend can keep the doors open a little longer, but owners say that in order to keep the doors open permanently, the business will need additional funding.
