Bed Stuy Community Plant Shop & Cafe - Fundraiser

Hi. I’m Michael;

 

Holding a cup of coffee can be a rooted experience. Whether you’re reconnecting with an old friend over a cup or grabbing an early brew for a sense of mental clarity, the ritual is why I fell in love with coffee.

 

I’m writing to present my vision of creating a community-centered neighborhood plant shop + cafe. I’ve been a resident of Bed-Stuy now for 10+ years, and I’m proud to call it home. It was important to me to find a storefront in my neighborhood and recenter my life to contribute to something that matters to me. I’m proud to announce that I’ve secured a Bed-Stuy location on Lewis Avenue for my concept shop Botani Cafe and have begun the initial construction phases. We will serve ethically sourced coffee from Devocion, which implements direct-to-farmer trade practices that directly benefit the farmers in Colombia.

 

I'm hoping to gather more financial support as I push through to the finish line of starting my business. So please check the video my good friend Kermit helped me put together to learn more about my mission and how I hope to foster alternative means of achieving wellbeing. In addition to exercise, going on walks, or cooking healthy food, I see cultivating plants and our community as part of an individual and collective health practice. By caring for something as small as a plant, we can all learn to better care for ourselves and each other.

 

I am crafting a space where families, creatives, and folks of color who prioritize well-being can gather, exchange ideas, and share their creative passions. I plan to incorporate locally sourced products and provide an atmosphere that fosters human connection. Since construction began, it's made me so happy to have longtime residents and transplants welcome our store and express their enthusiasm for the opening of Botani Cafe. In addition to the cafe and retail outpost, we will run creative workshops to inspire people to find their connection to cultivation via art classes or by harnessing their green thumbs at group potting courses. These actions involving care are essential to our company's mission. I am passionate about people and connection and look forward to Botani Cafe being home to family, friends, artists, plant parents, coffee lovers, students, entrepreneurs and especially the BIPOC/Queer communities. Looking forward to seeing you in our shop soon. I’m planning on opening in July of 2022.

 

Risks and Challenges

 

There are plenty of things that need funding when opening a cafe from scratch–general contractor fees, permits, inspections and making it to opening day with all the items required to operate a store before the rent abatement period runs out. So I wanted to be realistic about getting a safety cushion started and about needing money for things like green coffee, leasing fees, coffee equipment and all the little things in between, like paper cups and hand soap for the bathroom.

 

Our Fundraising Goal

 

My ambitious self-funded goal of opening a brick-and-mortar post-covid-19, aims to bring together the community. This aspiration is fueled by becoming a good neighbor and community-focused. I’m currently looking to raise $12,000 in additional start-up capital. These funds will cover the costs of equipment, inventory and rent. If we raise anything over $12,000 through this campaign, I will use the rest towards marketing and paying staff.

 

One More Way to Help

 

In addition to making a monetary contribution to this campaign, you can show your support for Botani Cafe by sharing this campaign link on the social media platform you’re using today. A campaign link shared on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and other social media platforms will go a long way in helping us pursue our mission.