Help Farpoint Be Fully Accessible!
As all of you know by now, Farpoint Toys has opened our own location! Right in Mays Landing on the very busy Harding Highway (Route 40), the super charming old Fireplace Shanty building called to us, and we fell in love with it! Just look at this place!!
Stepping away from the sterile mall environment we've been in since 2010, we knew we HAD to go somewhere with charisma. We absolutely found that place; this building has a tremendous amount of character! Built in the 1940s, its personality can't be ignored - but neither can its single drawback: lack of accessibility. Our friends with disabilities and limited mobility are currently unable to enter the building, navigate the various areas once inside, or comfortably use the restroom. This is a huge issue in our eyes, and one that needs to be addressed ASAP!
From the moment we decided to open up in this space, we've been aware that modifications would be necessary to make the building accessible, but their urgency was made clear to us just moments after we announced our grand opening date: a friend of ours who is also a wheelchair user asked if the new space was going to be accessible, and our hearts sank. We had to tell him no, and it crushed us.
One of the main reasons we saw fit to open our own place was to cultivate a deep sense of COMMUNITY among South Jersey's geeks. We want nerdy folks of ALL KINDS to feel like they have a place to be able to come together, spend time geeking-out and hanging out - at special events, but also just on a day-to-day basis. We're aiming for SO MUCH MORE than the typical boring, impersonal sort of retail places that you're rushed out of once they grab your money. We want to be the kind of place you come to chat, chill, and see what's new - regardless of your mobility level. As such, our space needs to be all-inclusive, comfortable and welcoming to EVERYONE, at all times.
We realized we HAD to jump on this project as soon as possible, for the sake of our friend but also for the sake of new friends we haven't met yet who have similar needs. Excluding ANYONE is the EXACT OPPOSITE of what we're striving for! We have big dreams for our little place – dreams that go beyond the title of retail store. Part store - of course - but also part museum, part library, part coffee house, part chill-spot … and all awesome – but only once EVERYONE can be a part! With just a little help, we hope to be able to share our awesome with everyone by becoming 100% inclusive.
The building currently has no entrances accessible to wheelchair users. Once inside, there are also a few stairs that people with disabilities or those with mobility issues would find difficult or impossible to navigate. The restroom facilities are also not currently suitable for wheelchair users. Lastly, while we do have accessible parking areas, they are currently dirt and gravel.
Our Goals Are:
- To construct an accessibility ramp on the side of the building that will allow wheelchair users and people with limited mobility to enter and exit the store through the "Cantina" (cafe' area) door. In addition to the ramp being built, the doorway there would have to be widened or replaced to allow wheelchairs to pass freely.
- To fabricate a small ramp inside the building where stairs currently exist to make the entire store fully navigable.
- To construct a fully accessible, gender neutral restroom that would allow ALL our customers to be comfortable when hanging out with us.
- The renovation of at least part of the parking area to allow installation of a more appropriate pathway from an accessible parking spot to the ramp on the side of the building.
These are sizable projects with considerable costs involved: materials, professionals and their labor, permits, etc. To have it all done, and done correctly, will cost more than the goal we've set, we realize. We are already saving for these projects, and are continuing to save, but reaching out to you folks – our nerdy community - will allow us to get these projects completed that much sooner, and get us accessible to more people ASAP! The faster we can start down the road to full accessiblity, the better, of course - but we honestly do not have a firm timeline for when these projects will be done. It really comes down to when we're able to get the funds together between donations and our savings! We will be tackling projects as we're financially able.
Since these project and donations are ongoing, we will process rewards quarterly (every 3 calendar months) or every 6 months, as demand dictates.
We know this is a lot of money, but we feel that saving every donation we receive, along with our current and continued savings, will eventually get us where we need to be to make our space accessible to everyone. It will no doubt take us a while, but with your help, we will get it done!
There's room at our gaming table for everybody. We just need to make sure they can all get in the door!
Thanks!
Penelope, Justin & Frank
Farpoint Toys
We know that just the act of donating to a good cause feels great, but we also have a bunch of tangible rewards to make donating that much more awesome!
$5 Pledge: Cadet
A $5 pledge will get you our eternal gratitude, plus your name and pledge rank immortalized on our project dedication plaque. The plaque will be hung in the store to commemorate this project and carry your name FOREVER! A mock-up is shown above.
$10 Pledge: Chief Petty Officer
$10 will get you a snazzy pin and sticker plus your name on the project plaque!
$30 Pledge: Ensign
A $30 donation secures you a limited edition PROJECT T-SHIRT in the unisex size of your choice, plus a pin, sticker AND your name on the project plaque!
$50 Pledge: Lieutenant Junior Grade
Your $50 pledge gets you a SUPER LIMITED EDITION PROJECT HOODIE in the unisex size of your choice, plus a pin, sticker AND your name on the project plaque!
$75 Pledge: Lieutenant
$75 gets you the limited edition T-SHIRT AND the HOODIE! Plus a pin, sticker and your name on the plaque!
$100 Pledge: Lt. Commander - Limited to 10
This pledge level gets you in on the ground floor of the COOLEST thing we're launching at our new spot: the Farpoint Mug Club!
Once our Cantina is up and running, the Farpoint Mug Club will be a yearly membership program that will include: a snazzy limited edition mug, half priced hot drinks all year, special members-only discounts, access to members-only events, sneak-previews, members-only sales AND MORE!
For this fundraiser ONLY … for the ONLY TIME IN THE HISTORY OF EVER ... we will be offering LIFETIME MEMBERSHIPS to the FARPOINT MUG CLUB!
Your $100 pledge gets you:
Your own ultra-limited-edition FARPOINT MUG CLUB: LIFETIME MEMBER mug.
Half price Farpoint hot drinks FOR LIFE. Yes, FOR LIFE!
Special MUG CLUB only DISCOUNTS - FOREVER.
FOREVERRRRR!
Access to members-only events, collection sneak-previews, sales AND MORE. FOREVERRR!
Normal Mug Club membership would need to be renewed every year – this is good for your LIFETIME, and will NEVER BE OFFERED AGAIN!
AND you'll also receive a pin, sticker and your name on our project plaque! WOW!
$125 Pledge: Commander - Limited to 10
Your $125 donation gets you the pin, sticker and name on our project plaque, PLUS the LIFETIME Mug Club Membership as mentioned above, PLUS the limited project t-shirt!
$150 Pledge: Captain - Limited to 5
At the $150 level, we have extremely limited spots available for our Grand Opening Sneak Preview Pre-Party! Your donation gets you our project pin, sticker AND your name on our project plaque, PLUS 2 Golden Tickets to this once-in-a-lifetime, catered, black-tie, soft-opening gala! The party will be held the evening of July 7th, so clear your calendars now!
$175 Pledge: Fleet Captain - Limited to 5
For $175, you get the Black Tie reward from the Captain's level, PLUS one of our project t-shirts!
$200 Pledge: Admiral - Limited to 10
For $200, you will be able to sponsor one of our display cases for as long as Farpoint exists! One of our 10 large retail cases will FOREVER display a plaque containing a name or (family-friendly) phrase of your choosing for the world to see! You will also receive the project pin, sticker AND your name on the project plaque!
$25 - NEW 'NO FRILLS' REWARD TIER ADDED!
DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND we've decided to add a new reward, totally striped to the bone for our "no frills" pals: our "Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Plastic" logo tee! JUST THIS SHIRT! NOT the Gofundme specific shirt, no pins, no stickers or frills - JUST THIS AWESOME SHIRT in the unisex size of your choice! Just like the other rewards, we'll be fulfilling these quarterly, so expect them to start rolling in after September!
