Listen to the interview here!
Toni Reece: Hi there. This is Toni Reece. Welcome to the Get Inspired! Project for Berks County Living Magazine. Today I have April Giuffrida with me. April, welcome to the Get Inspired! Project. Why don’t you take a moment and tell us a little bit about yourself?
April Giuffrida: I have been married for 34 years. I have two lovely children and own two businesses right here in Berks County.
Toni: What are those businesses?
April: Those businesses would be Jimmy G’s Railroad House …
Toni: Oh boy … that’s a great spot!
April: And also Jimmy G’s Beverly Hills Tavern.
Toni: Congratulations! Let’s get into the Project. What does inspiration mean to you?
April: Inspiration to me means to be able to take an idea and just to roll with it and expand and tweak it and have fun with it. That’s really what we’ve been doing with these two businesses.
Toni: I think one of the key things that you put in there, which I don’t hear a lot of when you’re inspired, is to have fun with it. Do you think that’s important?
April: If we weren’t having fun, I don’t think we would be doing this.
Toni: Really?
April: Absolutely, because as anybody in this service industry knows, it’s not easy. It’s definitely not easy. You’re dealing with the public; you’re dealing with employees. You have to keep everything in perspective. You have to keep it fun.
Toni: Do you remember what it felt like to be inspired by this idea and know that you were going to run with it?
April: What I felt like?
Toni: What did it feel like? What did being inspired feel like when you had that spark of an idea and then said, “Oh boy – here we go!”
April: Anxious.
Toni: Okay. Why anxious?
April: Because it’s risky. It’s definitely risky. You’re opening this business up. There’s a lot of variables; but like I said, in the end you have to be having fun, or else it just is not worth it.
Toni: Does the business inspire you?
April: I’ll tell you what inspires me, and that first and foremost is my husband. His drive, his passion, his endless energy. Honestly sometimes I feel like if he weren’t there beside me, it would be difficult. It would. A lot of people that know me know that I also do have that drive. I do have all that, but it’s fun to share it with somebody.
Toni: Absolutely. How do you take all of that and put it into practice – sharing it with somebody else, being inspired yourself – how do you put that type of inspiration into practice here in Berks County?
April: Just by being involved.
Toni: How so?
April: I’m 100 percent there – just involved in every aspect of both businesses. We all learn together – even my managers. I learn from my employees. I get ideas from them. I like to be part of helping the community, being able to employ people that need jobs. Like I said, there’s just so many aspects to owning businesses like this that are very rewarding.
Toni: So the way that you put inspiration into practice is how you run your businesses and how involved you are.
April: Yes.
Toni: Okay. Are there other community involvements that you participate in as well?
April: We definitely have our share. We support United Way. We support the Gilmore Henne Fund. We work with the Parrothead Club and run fundraisers for different charities there.
Toni: So community involvement truly does inspire you.
April: Oh, absolutely.
Toni: Do you see that coming back to you when you do that?
April: I do.
Toni: How so? Can you give us an example?
April: Coming back to me?
Toni: What does it do for you to get involved like that in the community?
April: It’s just an all-around good feeling. To help other people … anybody … and there’s a lot of people in Berks County that work with charities, and it’s so fulfilling.
Toni: Now, you did speak to your husband inspires you and why he inspires you. Are there others who inspire you in Berks County?
April: I would have to say we know a lot of good people in Berks County with good businesses that started small, and we’ve seen them through the years just thrive. I don’t know if I should name names, but …
Toni: Sure! That’s what we do here on the Get Inspired! Project!
April: We have John Woodward that started from nothing, and 3rd and Spruce is an amazing, great place. We have Mike Pullano – The Pike. I have friends, Tina Shenk, who owns Tina’s Nails - she started very small. Denny Lorah, Denny’s Electric. They just have inspired me and they’ve been so helpful in their ideas with us, and just being good friends. I have to say too, owning these businesses brought us around to meeting very good people and people that do inspire us.
Toni: What would you like your legacy to be?
April: I would like my legacy to be – and once again I’m going to say this, along with my husband’s – is that anybody can go for the American dream. I feel like that’s what we’ve done. It’s been an American Dream. We decided one day to start something, and we were able to flourish. I just feel like I want people to know that it’s something that anybody can accomplish. You have a vision. You have some drive there, and you just keep going. It can happen for anybody.
Toni: What a great way to end this interview. Thank you so much for being part of the Get Inspired! Project.
April: Thank you, Toni. Thank you for inviting me.
Toni: Take care.
April: Thank you.
