Help 222 Artisan to Keep Employees During Buildout

Hi, my name is Jeff Cassens and I'm raising funds to help 222 Artisan Bakery & Cafe keep paying their employees during the buildout of their new facility.

The bakery recently lost their lease in downtown Edwardsville and must vacate within 30 days. They've been in the same location for several years and have built a loyal customer base while supporting many worthy causes in the area at the same time. Many customers have already commented on a recent Facebook post that they will gladly follow 222 to their new location a few blocks away, and long-term the future looks bright.

The short term, however, brings challenges. The bakery has several employees that will be changing duties over the next few months as the new facility is prepared. They'll be cleaning, painting, helping set up the space, whatever it takes to get things ready for the new opening, but without revenue coming in to cover payroll, the choices narrow, and some may need to work elsewhere and then the challenge becomes onboarding and training new employees.

Edwardsville has always been a town that supports its small businesses. To be honest, Edwardsville IS a town of small businesses. There are very few large corporations in town, and the vast majority of establishments are locally owned and operated.

To return to the comments I saw on the Bakery's Facebook post announcing the location change, I saw a more than a few asking what they could do to help. Back in the old days, they might have a "barn raising" day, when neighbors got together and everyone swung a hammer or sawed the wood. Today, we have GoFundMe.

The Bakery is trying to raise enough to pay the employees for two months. The owners themselves will not take a salary at all during this time - all money raised will go to paying hourly wages, and only to those who are helping with the build out. No one is sitting this one out.

As a friend of the owners for years (actually, one of them for decades), I'm proud to do what I can for them and I hope you will, too.