Havana Club Survival Fund
Donation protected
We've been working hard this year to keep Havana Club alive, so that we can have a vibrant space for our dance community, lovers of Caribbean food, and essentially a clubhouse where friends, family, and community members can gather. As this pandemic has drawn out much longer than expected, it's become clear that we won't be able to make it without a little bit of community help. We're aware that so many people and businesses are struggling through this time, but when somebody asks us for ways that they can assist, it always comes back to help us keep the space so that we can turn it into something beautiful, vibrant, and an asset to our community. We feel that if we can survive the next two to three months (Dec-Feb) growing in the direction that we're growing now, we'll be able to keep the dream alive.
We’re Mike & Jaime. Mike is the owner of Havana Club, and Jaime is his life partner who assists him with running the business. We are reaching out because like many families and small businesses around the world, Havana Club in Corvallis is struggling. Our doors have been closed to the public for over six months to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of our patrons, staff, and the community. Currently, the two of us are running the whole operation for takeout and delivery - we do all of the cooking, marketing, bookkeeping, and behind-the-scenes administration ourselves. It’s a lot of work, but at this point it’s the only way we can afford to keep the business alive. And it's important to us, because not only are we excited for the people in Corvallis to enjoy Cuban food and culture as much as we do, but if we lose this business, Mike and Jaime won't have a place to teach Cuban salsa classes, so that essentially would lose us two businesses and sources of income.
Mike started Havana Club in September of 2019 when the two of us were looking for a space to teach Cuban salsa classes. Mike has been teaching Cuban salsa for nearly 20 years, and Jaime has been teaching for about four years. The space where we now have Havana Club became available, and although we were apprehensive at first, we ultimately realized that it was the perfect fit for several key reasons. Mike had the dream of, in addition to teaching dance, offering authentic Cuban food and tropical drinks reminiscent of Havana in our home of Corvallis. He had always envisioned a venue where he could host dance parties and bring live bands to perform Cuban music as well as a variety of music from local talent. We have a vision to create a beautiful, tropical venue where our community can get great Caribbean-inspired food, excellent tropical drinks, relax, socialize, have fun, and host company and private events. It’s perfect for a little nightclub vibe, which will have to wait until things are safer with the pandemic. There are many fun and vibrant opportunities awaiting our town at Havana Club, and our goal is that it eventually will become a community gathering hub.
Today, we are asking you to help Havana Club Survive! Havana Club faces an uncertain future, as debts from the beginning of the pandemic mounted up, and we personally had almost no income for a while. We plan to open for dine-in in January of 2021 if the rules allow, and of course would do so with limited capacity and thorough sanitization procedures. In order to open for dine-in and continue operating, annual fees have to be paid, and even though our takeout and delivery service has been going well recently, and we've minimized all business and personal expenses as much as we can, it’s still not enough to cover our personal expenses in addition to the expenses of keeping Havana Club open. We are in need of community support that will get us through the next few months. If we can reach our goal by January 31, 2021, that will be the help we need to survive this pandemic. Please support our business, so we can keep improving the space and offer a taste of Cuban food and culture, music, dance, and community that we think Corvallis will love and appreciate for the long run. Thank you, and we greatly appreciate your support during these difficult times for all of us.
-UPDATE 3/9/2021-
We thank everyone who has donated already, as those funds allowed Havana Club (and Jaime & Mike) to survive the past couple of months. That being said, the county has stayed closed much longer than we anticipated, and it has been difficult to create sustainable income simply from takeout. As we have nearly run out of funds again, we are increasing our goal to $20,000 to help us survive the next few months, which should allow us to open up for dine-in and have our full bar available, teach at least small Cuban Salsa classes, and be able to make a sustainable profit. If you haven't donated yet, we appreciate any support to help us survive these next couple of precarious months.
We’re Mike & Jaime. Mike is the owner of Havana Club, and Jaime is his life partner who assists him with running the business. We are reaching out because like many families and small businesses around the world, Havana Club in Corvallis is struggling. Our doors have been closed to the public for over six months to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of our patrons, staff, and the community. Currently, the two of us are running the whole operation for takeout and delivery - we do all of the cooking, marketing, bookkeeping, and behind-the-scenes administration ourselves. It’s a lot of work, but at this point it’s the only way we can afford to keep the business alive. And it's important to us, because not only are we excited for the people in Corvallis to enjoy Cuban food and culture as much as we do, but if we lose this business, Mike and Jaime won't have a place to teach Cuban salsa classes, so that essentially would lose us two businesses and sources of income.
Mike started Havana Club in September of 2019 when the two of us were looking for a space to teach Cuban salsa classes. Mike has been teaching Cuban salsa for nearly 20 years, and Jaime has been teaching for about four years. The space where we now have Havana Club became available, and although we were apprehensive at first, we ultimately realized that it was the perfect fit for several key reasons. Mike had the dream of, in addition to teaching dance, offering authentic Cuban food and tropical drinks reminiscent of Havana in our home of Corvallis. He had always envisioned a venue where he could host dance parties and bring live bands to perform Cuban music as well as a variety of music from local talent. We have a vision to create a beautiful, tropical venue where our community can get great Caribbean-inspired food, excellent tropical drinks, relax, socialize, have fun, and host company and private events. It’s perfect for a little nightclub vibe, which will have to wait until things are safer with the pandemic. There are many fun and vibrant opportunities awaiting our town at Havana Club, and our goal is that it eventually will become a community gathering hub.
Today, we are asking you to help Havana Club Survive! Havana Club faces an uncertain future, as debts from the beginning of the pandemic mounted up, and we personally had almost no income for a while. We plan to open for dine-in in January of 2021 if the rules allow, and of course would do so with limited capacity and thorough sanitization procedures. In order to open for dine-in and continue operating, annual fees have to be paid, and even though our takeout and delivery service has been going well recently, and we've minimized all business and personal expenses as much as we can, it’s still not enough to cover our personal expenses in addition to the expenses of keeping Havana Club open. We are in need of community support that will get us through the next few months. If we can reach our goal by January 31, 2021, that will be the help we need to survive this pandemic. Please support our business, so we can keep improving the space and offer a taste of Cuban food and culture, music, dance, and community that we think Corvallis will love and appreciate for the long run. Thank you, and we greatly appreciate your support during these difficult times for all of us.
-UPDATE 3/9/2021-
We thank everyone who has donated already, as those funds allowed Havana Club (and Jaime & Mike) to survive the past couple of months. That being said, the county has stayed closed much longer than we anticipated, and it has been difficult to create sustainable income simply from takeout. As we have nearly run out of funds again, we are increasing our goal to $20,000 to help us survive the next few months, which should allow us to open up for dine-in and have our full bar available, teach at least small Cuban Salsa classes, and be able to make a sustainable profit. If you haven't donated yet, we appreciate any support to help us survive these next couple of precarious months.
Organizer
Michael Eskeldson
Organizer
Corvallis, OR