‘It’s beautiful.’ Fans rally to raise money to save a beloved Durham restaurant.

The ask was enormous: $16,000 to save one of Downtown Durham’s most distinctive restaurants.

Within a day, fans, patrons, former employees and friends rallied around the Durham restaurant COPA, raising more than $18,000 to stave off possible closure.

“We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and humbled so many people believe in us and want to see this project succeed,” said Elizabeth Turnbull, who co-owns COPA with her husband Roberto Matos. “People have bought us time and encouraged us. ... It’s beautiful.”

This week, COPA posted on its Instagram page that the 6-year-old restaurant was in a dire state and that interest rate spikes, diminished downtown traffic and inflation had pushed the business near foreclosure.

On Thursday, Lisa Ray, who attends church with Matos and Turnbull, launched a GoFundMe account meant to buy COPA some time. The goal was $16,000 by the end of April. It went beyond that in less than a day, now standing at $20,000 from 181 different donors.

“We’re not giving up the fight yet,” Turnbull said. “We’re going to keep showing up every day....We’re really going to dig in and figure this out.”

COPA launched in 2018 as an upscale Cuban restaurant on Main Street in Durham. Matos and Turnbull previously operated the beloved Old Havana Sandwich Shop but closed it and bought the COPA space, creating a tapas-style Cuban restaurant heavily influenced by Spanish cuisine, with a cocktail menu showcasing rum.

In a 2018 review, former dining critic for The News & Observer Greg Cox awarded COPA four stars, praising the comfort and surprises in the restaurant’s menu.

Like many restaurants, COPA suffered through the pandemic, suspending its lunch service, pivoting to takeout, pivoting to sidewalk dining and pivoting to dented foot traffic along Main Street. Turnbull said the Small Business Administration loan that enabled the couple to buy their restaurant’s building carried a variable interest rate that has spiked 50 percent as the federal government tried to reign in inflation.

Even with the success of the crowdfunding campaign, Turnbull said COPA has a tricky path forward.

“I wish it could be solved by a one-off moment,” Turnbull said. “It’s still messy and complicated, but the goal of this was to buy us some time.”

Turnbull said the funds will largely go towards legal expenses as the couple restructures COPA’s debt.

Going forward, COPA plans to add a prepared meal service for take-home dinners and build on its private events business.

“The pandemic changed consumers habits,” Turnbull said. “Downtowns around the country, and certainly in our area, are struggling to bounce back. We’re just not seeing the same level of pre-pandemic traffic.”

Spring used to be a high season for COPA, Turnbull said, but that peaks and valleys have become difficult to predict as diners’ habits have changed.

“The rhythms are kind of broken--they’re not there,” Turnbull said. “What we used to know and predict and use for staffing and stocking ingredients and prep is gone.”

As chain restaurants grow in the Triangle, Turnbull worries about some of the smaller businesses, particularly Durham restaurants that helped put the city’s dining scene in the national spotlight.

“I think we’re in danger of losing small businesses and some of the character in our community,” Turnbull said.