By: Ashmar Mandou
Catedral Café owner Abraham Duenas is currently in a struggle to keep his business alive. In January of this year, Duenas received a foreclosure notice from Archer Bank. Since then, Duenas has engaged in a battle with Archer Bank to come to an agreement for a loan modification.
Since 2005, Duenas, along with his wife, Alma, has been serving up more than just mouth-watering cuisine for foodies and locals alike. Duenas, a longtime volunteer in non-profit organizations such as Little Village Environmental Justice Organization and Enlace Chicago, sought this as the perfect opportunity to combine both his loves; food and youth advocacy.
In the same year Catedral Café opened its doors, Duenas developed art classes and a radio show program, called Radio Vive, both housed in the upper level of his café for teens to have a place to visit away from the streets. “You know, I will never forget the time I received a call from a guy in the police department. He told me there were only two safe places for youth in Little Village. The Boys and Girls Club and Catedral Café,” said Duenas. “That certainly made my day.”
Catedral Café owner Abraham Duenas is currently in a struggle to keep his business alive. In January of this year, Duenas received a foreclosure notice from Archer Bank. Since then, Duenas has engaged in a battle with Archer Bank to come to an agreement for a loan modification.
Duenas soon turned to his bank of ten years, Archer Bank, a member of the Metrobank Group, for help. “We wanted to sit down with the people of Archer Bank and work out a loan modification once I secured another job,” said Duenas. “I finally did and my wife and I were able to get back on track to make the monthly payments on our mortgage. Everything seemed fine.”
In the meantime, Duenas decided to put Catedral Café up for rent while trying to continue working with Archer Bank more closely. However, in January of this year, the café was suddenly hit with a foreclosure notice by Archer Bank. “We were dumbfounded,” said Duenas. “We were led to believe by the bank that everything was okay. They were accepting our monthly payments; we still were in the process of applying for a loan modification. But when we received the notice, the bank just stopped returning my calls.” Archer Bank could not be reached for comment.
Unfortunately, Duenas’ circumstance isn’t a unique one. Perisur Hair Design located in Humboldt Park is yet another small business to fall victim to the recession. Owner Magdalena Ribas, a native of Mexico, came to Chicago 22 years ago with the hope to provide a comfortable lifestyle for her three children as a single mother. Ribas is another client of Archer Bank who asked for a refinance on the salon’s monthly interest rates. After several requests, Ribas said the bank was unwilling to work out a plan to help her to continue making monthly payments. “I don’t understand why they are not willing to help out local businesses,” said Ribas. “They gave me a false sense of security promising me they were a different bank. When I needed them, they were no where to be found.” For Ribas, whose salon is located in the same building she once owned, is being forced to vacate the property in the next two weeks. “I don’t know how I will start all over again.”
As for Duenas, he made a promise to himself to not let it go that far. He continues to push for a response. He has until July 30 when a judge will rule on whether or not Archer Bank can buy his property. “I want to ask the bank to think about the community,” said Duenas. “What will happen to the community if another vacant building pops up? The bank is not only taking a building away, they are taking a resource away. This building has become the identity for many youth in Little Village.”
Duenas is asking the community to sign a petition in support of Catedral Café and asking supporters to call Archer Bank to request a loan modification for the café. Nestled in a quiet neighborhood in Little Village and adorned with religious artifacts throughout the building, Catedral Café is a place where Duenas continues to pour his faith and hope that Archer Bank will come up with a resolution before the deadline.
