P & R Bakery & Café
Owners: Nora and Ed Proctor
Location: Harrisburg, PA
Business: Bakery and Café
Purpose of Loan: Capital for Start-Up Costs
Impact: Economic Security
After working at a local manufacturing company for 25 years, Nora and Ed Proctor lost their jobs at the same time when the plant closed. Having dabbled in baking for years – baking from home and through word-of-mouth sales – the couple took a leap and leased space to open P & R Baked Goods at Harrisburg’s Broad Street Market. In just a few years, Nora’s Famous Sweet Potato Pie and other goodies (made from family recipes handed down through generations) were such a success they needed to expand into a bigger location.
In 2012, the two entrepreneurs approached Finanta for capital and we provided the Proctors with financing – to add a kitchen to a bookstore. Today, they operate P & R Bakery & Café out of the Midtown Scholar bookstore in Harrisburg where they serve light fare including breakfast, soups and sandwiches and, of course, their famous made-from-scratch pies and other baked delights that, like all best sellers, continue to fly off the shelves.