Fund Iowa's First Queer GF Vegan Bakery
Donation protected
Hi I'm Marti! Your resident lesbian Gluten-Free Vegan Baker and one-woman show behind Thistle's Summit Bakery. We are famous for our oatmeal cream pies, tye die cream-filled cookies and sea salt tahini chocolate chip. Perhaps more than that we are known for bustin' out GF Vegan baked goods that taste better than your granny's conventional ones. We are the only allergy-conscious bakery that serves people the food world sometimes loses sight of.
Kiddos that have never been able to have birthday cake because of an egg allergy. People who have celiacs and haven't been able to enjoy a cookie in years. Families that can finally all enjoy the sweeter things in life together that taste nothing like a compromise. Thistle's Summit was born out of a simple idea that people deserve to feel loved, seen and taken care of through food—regardless of how they eat or who they love.
Kiddos that have never been able to have birthday cake because of an egg allergy. People who have celiacs and haven't been able to enjoy a cookie in years. Families that can finally all enjoy the sweeter things in life together that taste nothing like a compromise. Thistle's Summit was born out of a simple idea that people deserve to feel loved, seen and taken care of through food—regardless of how they eat or who they love.
We have been operating out of shared-use kitchen space for the past year and are ready to have a stand-alone brick and mortar. The commercial real estate market in Des Moines is extremely competitive and after many trials and errors, we have found the correct place to home Thistle's Summit. We have identified space in downtown (the former location of The Collective) and have signed a lease starting July 2022. It is a lease with a very quick turnaround and more retail space than we had initially planned on, so we are reaching out for some help to make this vision come to life QUICKLY.
We will use the funds raised to outfit our inventory of home, food and lifestyle goods, as well as plan for the increase in food production to accommodate the new needs of the bakery space. We also what to ensure we have enough operating capital to do this the right way. Many small to micro businesses fail because they are undercapitalized, and we won't let that happen because our community needs this bakery. As a woman and queer-owned business, we not only are starting with less capital, we will have a harder time accessing funds through traditional means in the timeline that we need them. This bakery is built to serve the community and we need the help of the community to make it happen.
Our vision is that our stand-alone brick-and-mortar can be more than just a bakery. The space is a live-work unit that allows us to devote part of the floor plan to supporting local food producers, queer makers and creators as well as class, meeting and event space for rent. My life partner, Ash Bruxvoort- better known as Ash Gravity the astrologer , will have a studio in the loft to see astrology clients and teach astrology, meditation and metaphysical classes. Ash is an adept and highly skilled teacher who is looking forward to bringing their passion to in-person classes.
We have built a robust list of weekly wholesale accounts and retail partners who will ensure cash flow for the bakery, but we need some seed money to bring our dreams into reality. Having a retail space allows us to bring different treats to you all that are not a good fit for our retail partners because of size, space or refrigeration. This space will truly be a boutique bakery experience for vegan/gluten-free goods. No longer will people who eat differently be relegated to a single selection. This is built for you.
In order to make this a reality, we will need to hire staff to sustain our new retail hours and the enhanced volume of production. These funds would make an immediate difference to allow us to bring these dreams to fruition.
We will use the funds raised to outfit our inventory of home, food and lifestyle goods, as well as plan for the increase in food production to accommodate the new needs of the bakery space. We also what to ensure we have enough operating capital to do this the right way. Many small to micro businesses fail because they are undercapitalized, and we won't let that happen because our community needs this bakery. As a woman and queer-owned business, we not only are starting with less capital, we will have a harder time accessing funds through traditional means in the timeline that we need them. This bakery is built to serve the community and we need the help of the community to make it happen.
Our vision is that our stand-alone brick-and-mortar can be more than just a bakery. The space is a live-work unit that allows us to devote part of the floor plan to supporting local food producers, queer makers and creators as well as class, meeting and event space for rent. My life partner, Ash Bruxvoort- better known as Ash Gravity the astrologer , will have a studio in the loft to see astrology clients and teach astrology, meditation and metaphysical classes. Ash is an adept and highly skilled teacher who is looking forward to bringing their passion to in-person classes.
We have built a robust list of weekly wholesale accounts and retail partners who will ensure cash flow for the bakery, but we need some seed money to bring our dreams into reality. Having a retail space allows us to bring different treats to you all that are not a good fit for our retail partners because of size, space or refrigeration. This space will truly be a boutique bakery experience for vegan/gluten-free goods. No longer will people who eat differently be relegated to a single selection. This is built for you.
In order to make this a reality, we will need to hire staff to sustain our new retail hours and the enhanced volume of production. These funds would make an immediate difference to allow us to bring these dreams to fruition.
It is our vision that Thistle's Summit can be a safe space for everyone and a pillar for the queer community. Our plan is to hire queer staff, make intentional decisions to collaborate with queer makers and business owners and prioritize the reinvestment into our community through mutual aid.
Des Moines needs this bakery, the past year of sales has taught us that. And we need Des Moines, and beyond to help us fulfill our mission to make people feel love through food. This bakery would be the first of its kind in Iowa and we hope it inspires other businesses to make inclusivity at the heart of their brand.
We welcome any questions you might have via email [email redacted]
We thank you so much for your consideration and for allowing this small queer business to grow and thrive thus far.
Best,
Marti, Ash (+ Thistle the dog)
We welcome any questions you might have via email [email redacted]
We thank you so much for your consideration and for allowing this small queer business to grow and thrive thus far.
Best,
Marti, Ash (+ Thistle the dog)
Organizer
Marti Payseur
Organizer
Des Moines, IA
