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Dear Friends of Riley's Farm,
First Things First: For many people these are tough times, so if you are undergoing financial, physical, or spiritual crisis, please ignore this message. You have our prayers. For those of you who care about the farm, please read on.
Background: In March of 2020, we seriously considered selling. The lockdowns nearly destroyed our business, and even though we took federal loans to keep our staff on, we were worried about trying to do business in a country that could be so miserably betrayed by public health "experts." We had no idea what to do. This came on top of our very expensive legal battle against cancel culture.
Our Crawl Back: After losing more than half of our revenue, a lot of you helped us survive by buying lots of pies and dinner theater events. Gradually, individuals and families began returning for the field trips, and there continues to be an explosion of new private, charter, and homeschool groups, but between the farm's horrible seasonality and this fight to win back business after Covid, we endured drastic insurance, labor, and material cost increases, along with new debt we thought we could outgrow.
Can We? Sometimes I feel like I can actually feel the coarse hair of a tiger's tail that I can't let go. We can't close to the public for long stretches, because our bills keep coming in on a weekly basis, but we can't go on like this either. Someone very close to me asked for prayer this morning, with the words, "I just can't take this anxiety." It broke my heart. I love this place, and you love this place, but it's killing some of us. We have put everything we have into it, and we have no real retirement, nor have we even given ourselves a raise in 15 years or more.
Our Plan: We infinitely prefer to grow our way out of this predicament by selling summer daytrips, dinner theater, and field trips, but I don't apologize for asking for help either. Our culture, let's face it, is completely broken, and I firmly believe its cure will be found, in part, by honoring, and remembering, the sacrifices of those who went before us. I believe in the mission. Do Californians? I think there are more sane folks than the other sort, but the bottom line is that if we don't acquire the means to stabilize this place, and improve it, the question will be answered for us. We're not a non-profit, so you can't deduct this, but if you can help, you can do so here. (Forgive me, but if a kid who brings a knife to a football game can be gifted more than $400,000 in a funding campaign, I think living history farms should have a shot too.)
Partners: Some of you may be interested in partnering with us substantially, as in become stake-holders in the land, or the business, itself. We're certainly willing to have a conversation. If that appeals to you, and you share this vision, drop us a line.
A For Sale Sign: We very well may consider it, and you might see a listing, but mostly as an emergency measure. It won't be easy, because a property this size can take years to sell, but we have entertained the idea of trying to discern God's Mind in the matter: if the business grows, stay. If it declines, what else can we do?
Thanks for your attention here. Your prayers are appreciated.
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