Keep Myco Cafe Alive: Your Support Matters

Dear Colorado community,

Myco Cafe needs your help.

As many of you know, nearly two years ago I embarked upon an endeavor to open Myco Cafe, a radical cross between coffeeshop, art installation, community portal, and psychedelic hub. In the time we’ve been open, I have been amazed at the impact we’ve had in the community as a meeting place, co-working space, small event space, cultural tide-turner, home of delicious drinks and gateway into the mycelial world.

For those who don’t know, the entire Myco Cafe project has been entirely self and locally funded, with most of the up-front costs bootstrapped by my own life savings and generous support and loans from friends and family. There is absolutely zero corporate funding behind the project, which has its benefits and drawbacks. The benefits include not being financially liable to big banks or corporate venture capital, which opens a lot of doors for creative freedom. The main drawback is that the funding behind the space is rather limited and prone to running out. At the time of writing this, Myco Cafe is out of backup funds and is in serious danger of going under.

The first few years of a new business are the most difficult and challenging, with a high dependence on working capital for operations while the business grows to profitability. Over 70% of new businesses in the food and drink industry go out of business within 2 years. Without a reserve of funds, it is impossible to cover expenses while focusing on growing the business. Most successful brick-and-mortar business endeavors with venture capital backing have a significant amount of working capital to cover overhead costs until the profitability threshold is reached for financial sustainability. Myco Cafe unfortunately does not have this safety net and is out of money to cover expenses.

The past few months of business have been difficult and sales are not where they need to be to keep the business viable. If things continue at the rate they are at, Myco Cafe will unfortunately have to close or be sold before the beginning of 2025. It pains me to have this reckoning, but it is the hard truth that the business is at a make-it-or-break-it inflection point.

While it would pain me to have to let the business go, I am ready to accept whatever outcome fate has in store and would gracefully move on to the next project that is ripe for me to work on.

There are a few ways Myco Cafe can be saved, and they all involve significant community support. I cannot do this alone. Together, we can ensure that Myco Cafe continues to thrive as a place of connection, creativity, and community.

If you believe in the vision and mission of Myco Cafe and would like to see it continue to thrive for more years, please consider the following ways you can support:

Simple Daily Actions

•Come into the cafe for a drink and maybe hang out and do some work. You might bump into friends!

•Try to come in for a drink at least once a week (or more!) to help us with income.

•Buy some art and other goods from the Cafe. You’ll support local artists too!

•Book Myco Cafe to cater/vend drinks for your events.

•Book the back room event space for an event in the near future. Ask me about terms!

Spread the Word

•Tell all your friends via word-of-mouth about the cafe and encourage them to visit!

•Share a post on social media promoting the cafe and encouraging friends to visit. Message me for a graphic to share!

•Volunteer to help hand out flyers and coupons to new audiences, particularly the student body at CU

•Leave us a 5-star review on Google Maps and Yelp.

Bigger Contributions

•Connect me to potential investors or donors who would be supportive of the vision

•Donate to the GoFundMe

•Help with Social Media and Marketing

These funds will enable us to stay open by covering essentials like rent, payroll, and inventory, while also enhancing the space and supporting local artists. Any money we raise will be spent on:

1. Operational Essentials (50%)

• Rent

• Utilities

• Payroll

• Working capital

2. Growth and Customer Engagement (30%)

• Inventory growth

• Advertising and marketing

• Merch and apparel

3. Space Enhancement and Maintenance (20%)

• Food prep equipment

• Remodeling and renovations

• Art installations

• Repairs and maintenance

This is a last-ditch effort to keep the brick-and-mortar coffeeshop afloat, and no matter what happens I’ll be deeply grateful of the incredible experience it has been to steward a community space. If this fundraiser picks up traction, I will release weekly or bi-weekly updates to keep the community informed on the progress. And even if we are unable to prevent the first physical location from closing, it will not be the end of Myco Cafe as a concept; it will merely transition and transform into a new embodiment in the world. If our doors close, Myco Cafe will continue to live on through pop-ups, collaborations, and new ways to share our mission with the community. Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way, and let’s see what we can accomplish together!