Cariloha Naples Coronavirus Relief
Donation protected
Cariloha Bamboo in Naples, FL is an independent, mom-and-pop boutique retail store where everything is made from eco-friendly bamboo. Along with many small businesses across the country, we closed temporarily on March 21 due to COVID-19. While we continue to take phone orders with free shipping and even take individual shopping appointments, our licensing agreement does not allow us to do online sales. Our sales decreased by 50% in March and are on track to be down 95% in April.
Despite doing our due diligence and applying for all emergency funding available in a timely manner, we have not received any emergency funding through the SBA or any other source and are in immediate danger of closing permanently and losing our life savings without help.
Our Backstory:
Robin and Jeff Snell, owners of Cariloha Naples, opened the first South Florida licensed Cariloha Bamboo store in North Naples’ Mercato on November 13, 2018.
Jeff was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Robin is a native North Dakotan. We met in college and were together for several years before going our separate ways. We later reconnected, remarrying in 2017, making our home in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
In February 2018, fate stepped in and we fell in love with the soft, luxurious Cariloha Bamboo products we discovered while on a cruise in the Caribbean. Jeff spent many years visiting his grandparents in Naples and his parents, who retired to Florida and currently live in Tampa, and knew that the Gulf Coast of Florida was the perfect place for us to ultimately retire. When the opportunity presented itself to open a Cariloha retail store in Naples, we decided to take that leap of faith and made the move in June 2018.
Our store, while not quite profitable yet, had a successful first year and was experiencing a 15% increase in sales before the pandemic shut our doors.
How You Can Help:
Robin and Jeff funded the opening of the store and the first year of operation as have many other small business owners unable to qualify for conventional financing for a new business - with personal savings and credit cards.
We have nearly exhausted our savings and our immediate goal is to raise $35,000 for payroll for our employees and ourselves (so we can pay our own bills), rent to Mercato (we were able to defer April's rent but must begin making payments on that deferral plus May rent by the end of April), insurance, utilities, taxes and other business expenses that will be due in the next few weeks.
Our need beyond that will depend on when we are able to fully open and whether we are able to eventually receive assistance from the SBA Disaster Loan.
We thank you all for your support. No donation is too small (or too big!) and if you prefer to remain anonymous, that's fine, though we would love to be able to thank all those who contribute. You can also help by spreading the word. Share this GoFundMe link on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media platform you use. Tell your friends.
#SmallBusinessRelief
What Makes Cariloha Bamboo in Naples Special:
Founded in 2007, Cariloha is the only multi-store retailer in the world to provide an entire store experience that is completely merchandised with products made of eco-friendly viscose from bamboo. Driven by a comfort, health and eco-conscious lifestyle, Cariloha embraces the style of the Caribbean with the spirit of Aloha.
Cariloha Bamboo offers a truly different shopping experience. Beginning as customers walk through the door and are greeted by the signature coconut mango scent, we encourage our customers to touch everything and feel the incredibly soft difference of bamboo fabrics for themselves.
Customers can purchase a variety of bed and bath products, clothing and mattresses made with varying percentages of bamboo. Cariloha offers the only sheets that are 100% viscose from bamboo. Cariloha Bamboo fabrics are twice as soft as cotton, 3 degrees cooler than cotton, moisture-wicking and thermal regulating, naturally repel odors and allergens, and never use harsh chemicals or pesticides.
The mattresses and pillows are made from bamboo charcoal memory foam and are hypoallergenic and CertiPUR certified, a designation given to products that meet rigorous standards for emissions, content, performance and durability. Bamboo is also an extremely sustainable product and the manufacturing process is less harmful to the environment than with traditional cotton-based products.
As an independent retail store, Cariloha Naples is able to offer customers a personalized shopping experience and our own VIP loyalty program. We truly believe in the quality and value of our products and want people to experience them first-hand. We love the opportunity to get to know our customers and develop a relationship with them and as a result, we have a very high volume of repeat business. Although as an independent Cariloha retailer, we are not allowed to participate in online sales, we match all online promotions and our free shipping policy allows us to continue our personalized customer relationship no matter where in the U.S. our customers call home. #SmallBusinessRelief
Despite doing our due diligence and applying for all emergency funding available in a timely manner, we have not received any emergency funding through the SBA or any other source and are in immediate danger of closing permanently and losing our life savings without help.
Our Backstory:
Robin and Jeff Snell, owners of Cariloha Naples, opened the first South Florida licensed Cariloha Bamboo store in North Naples’ Mercato on November 13, 2018.
Jeff was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Robin is a native North Dakotan. We met in college and were together for several years before going our separate ways. We later reconnected, remarrying in 2017, making our home in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
In February 2018, fate stepped in and we fell in love with the soft, luxurious Cariloha Bamboo products we discovered while on a cruise in the Caribbean. Jeff spent many years visiting his grandparents in Naples and his parents, who retired to Florida and currently live in Tampa, and knew that the Gulf Coast of Florida was the perfect place for us to ultimately retire. When the opportunity presented itself to open a Cariloha retail store in Naples, we decided to take that leap of faith and made the move in June 2018.
Our store, while not quite profitable yet, had a successful first year and was experiencing a 15% increase in sales before the pandemic shut our doors.
How You Can Help:
Robin and Jeff funded the opening of the store and the first year of operation as have many other small business owners unable to qualify for conventional financing for a new business - with personal savings and credit cards.
We have nearly exhausted our savings and our immediate goal is to raise $35,000 for payroll for our employees and ourselves (so we can pay our own bills), rent to Mercato (we were able to defer April's rent but must begin making payments on that deferral plus May rent by the end of April), insurance, utilities, taxes and other business expenses that will be due in the next few weeks.
Our need beyond that will depend on when we are able to fully open and whether we are able to eventually receive assistance from the SBA Disaster Loan.
We thank you all for your support. No donation is too small (or too big!) and if you prefer to remain anonymous, that's fine, though we would love to be able to thank all those who contribute. You can also help by spreading the word. Share this GoFundMe link on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media platform you use. Tell your friends.
#SmallBusinessRelief
What Makes Cariloha Bamboo in Naples Special:
Founded in 2007, Cariloha is the only multi-store retailer in the world to provide an entire store experience that is completely merchandised with products made of eco-friendly viscose from bamboo. Driven by a comfort, health and eco-conscious lifestyle, Cariloha embraces the style of the Caribbean with the spirit of Aloha.
Cariloha Bamboo offers a truly different shopping experience. Beginning as customers walk through the door and are greeted by the signature coconut mango scent, we encourage our customers to touch everything and feel the incredibly soft difference of bamboo fabrics for themselves.
Customers can purchase a variety of bed and bath products, clothing and mattresses made with varying percentages of bamboo. Cariloha offers the only sheets that are 100% viscose from bamboo. Cariloha Bamboo fabrics are twice as soft as cotton, 3 degrees cooler than cotton, moisture-wicking and thermal regulating, naturally repel odors and allergens, and never use harsh chemicals or pesticides.
The mattresses and pillows are made from bamboo charcoal memory foam and are hypoallergenic and CertiPUR certified, a designation given to products that meet rigorous standards for emissions, content, performance and durability. Bamboo is also an extremely sustainable product and the manufacturing process is less harmful to the environment than with traditional cotton-based products.
As an independent retail store, Cariloha Naples is able to offer customers a personalized shopping experience and our own VIP loyalty program. We truly believe in the quality and value of our products and want people to experience them first-hand. We love the opportunity to get to know our customers and develop a relationship with them and as a result, we have a very high volume of repeat business. Although as an independent Cariloha retailer, we are not allowed to participate in online sales, we match all online promotions and our free shipping policy allows us to continue our personalized customer relationship no matter where in the U.S. our customers call home. #SmallBusinessRelief
Organizer
Jeffrey Snell
Organizer
Naples, FL
