Melissa is a minority, female entrepreneur, who was inspired to open UnBAR Café to create a community place that felt like a bar, but does not serve alcohol and focused on supporting a healthy lifestyle. UnBAR Café opened January 20, 2020 at 12635 Larchmere Blvd. in the Larchmere neighborhood.
Melissa approached the City looking for assistance with construction & renovation, machinery & equipment, and furniture & fixtures to get their business open and operating. They received a $50,000 loan from the Neighborhood Retail Assistance Program. Their total project cost was $151,250. The project will create three full time jobs.