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“The financial impact of the disagreement however, left us to decide whether to close or get creative with our debt. We chose the creative debt but that debt decision hit us hard a week ago and put us in a very bad situation that was defused only through the graces of a very good friend.”

As well one of the Neat’s co-owners is leaving the business. The co-owners are Adam and Kim McKinty. Kim McKinty is moving on.

“Neat needs to find the funds to get a departing partner the equity they deserve for the years of hard work and commitment; without selling the assets,” the café says.

In December, it was announced that Adam McKinty was launching a new music festival, Neat in the Woods, on top of opening a brand new venue just outside of Carleton Place in a 150-year-old barn. He hoped ticket sales from the festival would be help support the café.

Despite the financial difficulty, Neat has several concerts lined up for April and May, including Shakey Graves, Chic Gamine, Kevin Kane of the Grapes of Wrath, and Buffy Sainte-Marie.

McKinty stresses that the café is attracting as many customers as ever and business is going well aside from these recent roadblocks.

“The shows are still selling out and the coffee’s still going,” he says. “I’ve had bank loans in the past and paid them off. I’ve never bounced a cheque to an artist.”

McKinty says he is feeling more positive now than he did 24 hours ago. Since the call went out for help in the morning, the rest of the day was spent in meetings signing loan agreements and receiving calls and emails from people he has never met.

Those interested in helping the Neat survive can donate online at neatfood.myshopify.com, by phone (613)433-3205 or by visiting the café itself.

“We are committed to keeping Neat open through sheer stubbornness and brute force if required,” the release says. “We really do not like asking for help. It is our nature to get things done quietly and quickly away from any spotlight. This request is very difficult and incredibly emotional; it would be absolutely unbearable to us for this to fail.”