The Kiva Rochester program is a partnership with Kiva, an international nonprofit organization, and the City of Rochester. Launched in August 2016 by Mayor Lovely Warren and the Office of Innovation, the program provides access to 0% interest crowdfunded loans of up to $10,000 for local small business owners who might have difficulty qualifying for capital from traditional financial institutions. The loans are crowdfunded $25 at a time by Kiva’s community of 2 million lenders from all over the world who support entrepreneurs as they launch and grow their businesses. To date, the program has connected over 55 city of Rochester business owners with nearly $300,000 in 0% interest business capital. For more information, visit our website or Facebook, or send an email our way!

Kiva Rochester is partnering with I Heart ROC to bring you a series of interviews focusing on local entrepreneurs who are thriving in the Rochester community.

Calvin Eaton was one of the first entrepreneurs who successfully funded his loan through Kiva Rochester. We were excited to work with him as he was building out 540WMain, a community space dedicated to education, arts, and wellness in the Susan B. Anthony neighborhood. His $5,000 loan helped him to renovate the community room so it could be open to the public. Visit Calvin’s original fundraising profile.

Interview by Emily Hessney Lynch.

Published July 19, 2018.

Where are you originally from?

I grew up here, though I was born in Texas. My parents moved back to Rochester when I was three years old. I attended RIT, where I studied Hospitality for my Bachelor’s and Systems Administration for my Master’s.

For awhile, I moved away to Tennessee, and lived in Nashville. However, I have a chronic invisible illness, fibromyalgia, as well as celiac disease, which made it difficult to live so far from family without their support. I came back to Rochester and made it my personal mission to explore the city and find joy in where I live.

What is your favorite part of living in Rochester?

The diversity in activities. No matter the time of year, there are affordable and free events. We have theatres, museums, world-class parks, festivals, lakes, rivers, and the Public Market. It only takes 30 minutes or less to get anywhere, and there’s always something to do. I used to take it all for granted, but not anymore.

What are some of your favorite Rochester spots? 

I live on Alexander and it’s central to downtown and the Public Market. New City Cafe is an awesome spot for drip coffee; I try to hold a lot of my meetings there. I appreciate how they’re building the community from the inside out. Jine’s has great gluten free food! I’m a foodie and a blogger, so another one of my favorite places is my own garden at home. I’ve been working on it for six years now!

What's the most unique event you've attended in Rochester? 

Jazz Fest is one--I always try to pop down there to catch some shows during the festival. The South Wedge Farmers Market is great too. Party in the Park always has a great lineup. I also love attending shows at MUCCC and events at Village Gate.

What are some of your favorite local nonprofits to support? 

I’m big on connecting, so there are a lot! I’ve been getting more involved with Rochester Young Professionals. I appreciate RocGrowth and the awesome connections they are making in our community. A few others include Roc City Coalition, the Urban League of Rochester, the Community Land Trust, and the Citywide Tenants Union.

If you had $100 and two hours to kill in Rochester, how would you spend the money/time? 

I’d go to the Public Market and buy tons of stuff, like blueberries, peaches, and flowers, then have a brunch. I’d make a peach pie and invite a bunch of friends to go hang out and eat at a park.

What's your favorite neighborhood in the city? 

South Wedge, with the Neighborhood of the Arts a close second.

What is your personal coping mechanism for cold/gray weather? 

The cold and gray weather intersects with my fibromyalgia, so I do a lot of yoga in the winter. I go to the BodyMind Float Center at least twice a week and I go tanning four times a week. I’m a big reader and listen to lots of podcasts, too.

What is your favorite Rochester memory?

My dad works at Fogler and they always have a Seabreeze family day. We’ve kept that tradition going every summer. I always enjoy taking in all the people, the games, and the sense of nostalgia.

What makes Rochester unique?

So many things. It’s like a big small town. We have everything from high society, world-class arts and culture to everyday pop-ups in the park. But we have so many natural resources, and this strong urban core at the same time--that’s really unique as well.

What do you think could be improved?

We need to have more conversations about transit and making the city more user-friendly. I attended the Reimagine RTS sessions, have been using Pace Bike Share, and even sold my car. There’s lots of grassroots movement happening. Young people want to do things different from how their family did.

Diversity and classism are also predominant in certain pockets of our city. There needs to be more balance. There’s lots of awareness building, and we need to continue to push people out of their comfort zones and dispel the myth that the city is a scary place.

What made you decide to start a business in Rochester versus somewhere else?

I went to school for management, but never saw myself as an entrepreneur. I was laid off in 2009 and became entrepreneurial by necessity. I did some catering, and then the entrepreneurial bug bit me. I started the Gluten Free Chef blog to document my new gluten free lifestyle. I knew people made money through blogging, but I didn’t really know how. But with my fibromyalgia, I was starting to realize that a traditional 9-5 was not for me.

I opened the Gluten Free Chef Bakery in 2014, but while baking in big batches, I realized I missed the personal aspect of serving customers. I wanted to marry my love of teaching with my business and management background, so I rented out some space and took over 540WMain. It’s now a communiversity: a community-based, learning-focused space that offers 30 classes a month. We run on a mixture of public grants and private funding, and offer classes to neighbors for free. It’s been a commercially underserved neighborhood for a long time. It’s great to see the flow of information and people making connections for the first time. We opened in May 2016 and had the ribbon cutting in June. We’ll be hosting our two year birthday party on August 24th this year! It’ll be a big community celebration with Rita’s Italian ice, a grill, music, and more.

How did your Kiva loan impact you/your business?

The loan 540WMain received allowed the Community Classroom to be renovated, which is the heart and soul of the activity that happens in our HQ. It was the push we needed to really take off as an education space.

What was the Kiva loan process like?

The process was fairly simple and straightforward. It helped that I have pretty large social media presence and audience which is helpful for KIVA. We were funded in about 10 days from start to finish.

What is the best part of owning a business in Rochester?

Meeting people is definitely the best part. If I ever went back for another degree, I’d study anthropology. It’s so interesting to see how people make connections and build business. We have a bubbling ecosystem of entrepreneurs here, and people want to make their own way and change the world. The intersection of activism is new for me too--540WMain is its own organism now--this new thing that I never would have expected.

What are some of the challenges you face?

Being a creator of color, there are systemic barriers. Financially--you have to find funding. Being in a service-rich city, you have to prove your worth in a sea where there’s already so much going on. The flip side of that is that there are so many collaborations and partnerships, and those are key for me. Sometimes, you have hard moments and you feel down. Other times, people will email me and say, “Talking to you was the most productive conversation I’ve had all year.” Those moments inspire me to keep plugging away.

Do you have any advice for up and coming entrepreneurs in the Rochester area?

You’re on the right track. Trust the process. Don’t be afraid. Don’t second guess your invitation to the table. It can be challenging when you’re a creative and the arts and creativity are not valued as a business. But everything we visit was started by someone who believed in the process and grew it! You have to trust that.