Hello,

You have probably landed on our Gofundme page as you are one of our staunch supporters and champions. Or perhaps you have heard of our great fight to keep our shop open on social media, radio or the local news.

As you know the first half if 2025 has not been kind to Emma's Emporium and we have battled many hurdles and obstacles to stay open.

We have been trying to positively engage with those responsible for issuing us a new rental lease. As part of this we have been asked to pay a large sum of money for associated rental property costs.

The money we make from the shop does not stretch to covering this sum as money we make covers the existing rent and utilities. As you know we are a non-profit organisation, therefore as it says we do not make a profit. We rely solely on the goodwill and generosity of our community. Also, based on our prices we would never realistically make a profit and raising prices is not viable option to us at the minute. Surely, a cost of living crisis should not impact a charity helping those in financial difficulty because of the crisis itself.

So, once again we are appealing for your help. If you are able to donate whether that's £1 or more it will truly help us. We do not want the failure to find this money to be the reason why this great community hub shuts.

Here’s a few words from our founder – Emma Tansley:

Hi, my name is Emma and I set up Emma’s Emporium in 2019 in the heart of Sunnyhill, Derby to help individuals and families who were struggling with many issues. My passion comes from having been homeless myself in the past and I know how hard it is to ask for help. None of us know how the tide may change tomorrow for us and what situations are awaiting us around the corner. People can face health issues, financial struggles or any other change in circumstances that impacts their lives with devastating consequences. Sometimes, these consequences are a never-ending domino effect.

We appreciate any level of donation you are able to give because to us – every penny does count, especially when you are used to trying to make ends meet to stay afloat. Without your help there is every possibility that what the team and I have created will end and the shop would have to close indefinitely. This would break my heart immensely and make me feel like I have let the community down. Those of you who know me personally know I will fight with all I have but material things like finances I cannot do alone.

Thank you in anticipation and much love,

Emma xx

https://www.facebook.com/emmasemporiym

BBC Radio Derby - BBC Radio Derby, "I was homeless, so I want to give something back"

Further information about our community organisation:

Emma's Emporium CIC is not-for-profit organisation, which operates from our shop/community hub (10 Browning Circle, Sunnyhill, Derby, DE23 8AR). The shop offers support to local residents who are struggling financially, going through life changing circumstances and assisting those who fleeing dire situations i.e. domestic violence. We work closely with local social workers to provide items such as personal hygiene products and all household items/furniture, which are donated to the charity and then gifted onto the person in need. The shop also trades in preloved and new items that have been donated to meet mandatory overheads such as rent and utilities to ensure the premises remains open. The shop is in a socio-economically deprived area and since it has opened it has helped to regenerate the area, make the residents feel safer and bring a community closer together, especially during Covid.

The shop also houses a food bank that is accessible to anyone who needs it without any kind of referral. We work on a trust-based policy as we understand how difficult it is for ask for help on the first instance. We have received great feedback from the community as to what the shop means to them and how devastating closure would be.

Local residents rely on the shop and volunteers for emotional/wellbeing support as well providing anything they may need. We help people from all backgrounds and cultures and pride ourselves on helping anyone, even when we are faced with language barriers. We support people in the community who suffer from terminal illnesses, are full time carers or suffer with chronic, debilitating conditions. We encourage them to come see the volunteers in the shop for a chat and a cup of tea. All the volunteers have faced their own hardships and want to help people with their personal insights.

We have people fleeing domestic violence, refugees and care leavers with setting up with new homes with donated furniture, household items and food. We are regularly contacted by social care workers who are trying to house people. We approach other charities to let them know we can provide additional help to their services, so that how reach is felt further. We run events for underprivileged children such as SEND Proms and Halloween parties using our extended premises. We have to ultimately think outside the box and help the community as much as we can and we continue to push this through our social media channels. All feedback is maintained anonymously to protect the identity of the most vulnerable.

We will try to pre-empt any significant events in the future that are likely to impact peoples' financial well-being. For example, recently children will be going back to school and there will be a need to assist with second hand uniforms to make it more affordable for those families who struggle with kitting out their children before the new school year. All these posts are clearly visible on Facebook page and you can see the level of interaction they garner.

We also receive a lot of feedback from people in person, who will speak about their positive experiences, which in turn has led to the exponential growth of the organisation with regards to more volunteers joining and reaching people in need beyond our immediate area. All feedback is maintained anonymously to protect the identity of the most vulnerable.

It is estimated in an average week we assist 10 people who have very specialised circumstances - therefore amounting to over 500 a year. This is in addition to walk-ins we may receive and again these can vary, but on average it would be 20 plus people, equating to over 1000 people a year. There is no formal record of people who assist due to confidentiality and the extra strain this would put on our already limited resources.

Please help us if you can and pay that little bit forward if you have ever struggled and found a lifeline from Emma’s Emporium. THANK YOU.