Faces of Kansas City: Viewers pitch in for goodies - KCTV5

A local family asked for help in making their dream come true and boy did viewers deliver.

KCTV5 first told viewers about the Garza family last month. It was then that they issued a plea for help, asking strangers to donate to the on-line fundraiser Kickstarter.com.

"All of a sudden we went from 60 percent funding to 142 percent funding in one day," Richard Garza of Garza's Goodies said. "We still haven't come off that high."

With the $7,000 raised from Kickstarter, Garza's Goodies has gone from a dream to reality. The family will open their chocolate shop in a Waldo strip mall very soon.

"I don't even know if thank you is enough of the right word to the people who showed support," said Heather Garza.

With the help of their son, the Garzas are eager to begin selling their handcrafted chocolates. It's especially gratifying for Richard Garza who, because of a degenerative condition, has been on disability.

"We knew, even if we had to survive on ramen noodles, that we were going to get this shop open," he said.

As excited as he is to open for business, Richard Garza said he just wants to set a good example for his son Daemon and to show him that his father isn't letting his disability keep him down.

"A friend of mine mentioned how proud she was of the example I'm setting and I said I wasn't sure if it's that I'm such a good example or just too stupid to quit," said Richard Garza.

The family knew they were on to something when the chocolates Heather Garza made for their church bake received rave reviews.

"We pride ourselves on them being old-world chocolates at new-world prices. They're much more wallet-friendly than a lot of high-end chocolates, but they're no less quality," said Richard Garza.

KCTV5's Brad Stephens had one bite of their peppermint bark sample and was sold.

Now that husband and wife are business partners he asked if that makes them nervous.

"We started off as friends when we met, and then it blossomed from there so I get to spend my day with my friend," said Richard Garza.

Garza's Goodies should be open by Mother's Day. For those who donated to the Garza's business through Kickstarter.com, they'll get that amount back in chocolate.

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