By Vanessa Lantos Daly (Spicy Melon)
Oct. 6, 2024 – It’s a tragic event when a small business doesn’t make it past a year. After putting on their best faces and smiles, dressing up to welcome everyone through their doors with shiny new paint and glitter, it’s even more heartbreaking when natural disasters and building failures try to break them before they even have a chance to open.
In spite of rising rents and inflation around Savannah since the pandemic, Goodfortune Market decided to take a chance and open in the newly renovated Waters Avenue stretch, just two blocks away from Daffin Park.
Many would argue—and have commented—that they’ve had anything but good fortune.
I overheard this while grabbing lunch at the Slow Fire BBQ food truck, and honestly, this kind of comment is about as helpful as throwing rocks at broken glass.
To me, good fortune isn’t just about smooth sailing. It’s having a community and other local businesses that care enough to share and support one another when someone’s in dire need. When people come together in tough times, it’s a beautiful thing.
Hurricane Blues
Not even two months after Hurricane Debbie flooded vital areas around the city, Hurricane Helene hit like a horror story in the middle of the night. All the wind we didn’t get with Debbie came all at once with Helene.
Those of us who peeked outside around 2 a.m. saw the sky glowing neon green—power boxes exploding and trees falling left and right. Some folks on Reddit, who’ve lived in Savannah their whole lives, said they’d never felt so scared.
Countless people lost power for over a week, losing their food supplies and medicine that needed refrigeration.
Hearing about loss, tragedy, and one struggle after another, it’s incredibly heartwarming to see Savannah’s small business owners come together to help Goodfortune Market, a business that hasn’t even had its official opening yet, survive and push forward.
Goodfortune Market was started by Becca Goossen, who has experienced the service industry in all its forms, most recently serving at The Grey.
Her vision is inspired: “Driven by my lifelong mission to feed my community, I started a small, daily market a few blocks away from where I live in Savannah, Georgia. This resonates with my passion for food supply chain issues. Diverse communities like my neighborhood desperately need a strong food supply network. I vigorously believe that the food chain should not be seen as a linear chain, but more of a web like network to ensure its stability over time.”
Delayed Loans, Flooding, and Power Loss—Oh My!
The market is currently on its second GoFundMe. The first was created on November 2, 2023, while the space awaited funding from a Small Business Administration loan. Paying rent and utilities before a business even opens is often a huge strain for small businesses.
After substantial delays with their SBA loan, on September 19th, a pipe burst and flooded the market, destroying their stock and forcing them to close for days.
Becca can’t seem to catch a break: “We love this community so much and are so proud to start our journey in bringing fresh, quality foods back to Waters Ave. But this disaster puts us in serious jeopardy. The loss of revenue, the damages to our store, and the loss of products from the massive flooding, before we have even made it to our grand opening celebration, is a big blow,” she lamented on her second GoFundMe campaign.
After the flood, Hurricane Helene took away the power, forcing them to replace their fresh produce and perishables stock for a second time.
Rooting for the Broken Hero
There’s this feeling… of rooting for the good guy in the movies. The one who gets beat up over and over again, who realistically should’ve been killed like 12 times by now. The one who, by all accounts, should’ve broken down from the weight of his circumstances and stopped fighting a long time ago.
Homer’s Odyssey. Rocky. 127 Hours. You pick the story.
Everyone roots for that guy. The more dire the circumstances, the more you want him to win. Right now, Good Fortune Market feels like that underdog hero with the beautiful dream that everyone wants to save.
The main reason I started digging into this market’s story is because of the incredible response their crisis has inspired. The care others have shown to help save this new business made me want to learn their story, soak it up, and get involved.
Other Small Businesses Got Involved
Sobremesa held an emergency fundraiser on October 2nd, donating 20% of all their sales to help Good Fortune Market. The energy that night was hopeful and powerfully cheerful—there wasn’t an empty seat in the house, even on an otherwise quiet Wednesday night.
The event gained traction on Instagram, shared by many, including local food personality Jesse Blanco from Eat It and Like It and locally beloved architect Kevin Rose, who designed Good Fortune Market’s space.
In the days that followed, Slow Fire BBQ joined in, donating proceeds from a couple of menu specials to support Good Fortune. The specials? An amazing chicken sandwich and a burger.
I visited their food truck stationed on Waters Ave and discovered how delicious their food was. The next day, they did it again, this time donating proceeds from sales of their pastrami Reuben sandwich to help save the market.
Stories of businesses struggling after Hurricane Helene are everywhere.
Places like Desposito, Finches, and Late Air all posted on Instagram asking their regulars to come out and support them. Late Air, in particular, has had a rough go—they lost power, and on top of that, they were burglarized twice.
When we visited Late Air, they explained how they were hit Thursday night and then again Monday night. Both times, the thieves came in 30 minutes after closing, stealing the cash drawer each time.
As much as social media can be toxic and addictive, when it’s used to spread useful information and help communities come together, it becomes a beautiful tool for instant connection.
How Can You Help?
The message is clear: Support for small businesses right now is more urgent and vital than ever. Whether it’s because you love their products, know the owners, believe in their concept, or just appreciate what they represent, your help matters.
Every little bit makes a difference! I’d love to see them thrive and become a valuable resource for the community.
Otherwise, shop and eat locally when you can. Spread the word, share with your friends, and don’t underestimate how much your involvement means—even simply telling others to support these places is incredibly helpful.
I know I try to do it every chance I get.
See you on the flip side,
Vanessa Lantos Daly