Nick here, founder of Rabbit Hole Studios - an art and music-focused coliving & coworking space in Athens - and I'd like to invite you to save our community center and be a part of the solution to the housing crisis in Athens.

TLDR: We got shut down by ACC and need short-term financial assistance to avoid a forced liquidation while we work on finding partners and funding for renovations so we can reopen and continue our mission to provide affordable housing, art & music therapy, entrepreneurial incubation services, maker space and community support in Athens. If we are unsuccessful and I am forced to sell, you'll have the option to be reimbursed from the proceeds of the sale. All donations will go towards paying for our mortgage, loan payments and overhead expenses (currently about $7k/mo) for the next 6-7 months.

DONATE HERE: https://gofund.me/8795fa136

This year has been the hardest of my life... This past summer, I lost the community space and co-living hub I have poured my heart and soul into since 2016 and was forced to evict dozens of friends and artists living there due zoning and building code violations. That closure displaced dozens of people, many of whom had nowhere else to go, in a city already starving for affordable housing. Some of them are still homeless today. It left me swimming in debt with no ability to repay the loans I took out to invest in the improvements and infrastructure required to house people.

Shortly after this transpired, I lost my baby boy Skylar at just six days old to a sudden, unknown illness. He was happy and healthy with no complications during delivery until one morning, he stopped feeding and seemed sleepy. As we prepared to take him to the hospital for a check-up, he died in our arms and our efforts to revive him failed. The medical examiner has not been able to determine the cause of death yet.

To make matters worse, I then lost what little savings I had left in a failed attempt to acquire a marina and campground, which was supposed to be my liferaft to a new career path and a place to live with my family in our RV without the constant fear of code enforcement uprooting us. Since I wasn’t able to pay myself a salary managing Rabbit Hole - largely because affordable housing units and homeless shelters are, as you might imagine, very unprofitable - I've had to support myself through other businesses, many of which helped employ my friends and ex-roommates at Rabbit Hole. The marina would have allowed some of us to relocate our RVs and find more work, but that, too, fell apart. One by one, devastating losses have piled up in my life this year. Now I’m on the verge of bankruptcy and might be forced to liquidate everything I own and watch the community center I hosted for nearly a decade be demolished and forgotten.

At times, it feels like all hope is lost and everything I’ve built has crumbled. But when I look at the Rabbit Hole, I see more than an empty building and another tragedy in my life. Maybe it’s a second chance — not just for me, but for Athens’ most vulnerable.

For over 5 years at 1001 Winterville Rd and another 4 years at previous locations, Rabbit Hole Studios has been a refuge for artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, and anyone else who had nowhere else to turn. We opened our doors when all others were closed. We welcomed people of all colors, creeds and classes, from all walks of life - often without security deposits or first month’s rent - people with criminal records, artists struggling to find a job, and the homeless who were simply trying to survive another day and we provided the essentials they needed to live comfortably.

I found creative ways to help them get back on their feet — I leased and financed vehicles to people with no savings and bad credit so they could earn a living through DoorDash, Uber and other gig work apps, I invested in their start-up businesses when no one else would, I provided a supportive community support platform, I helped other entrepreneurs learn the ropes of owning and operating a small business, gave them free websites, promoted their services, I did everything I could to help others realize the American Dream.

I lost over $100,000 in unpaid rent over the last few years because I didn’t have the heart to evict people right away when they started to fall further and further behind on rent. I hoped they would pay me back eventually, but they never did and I don’t ever expect them to. Our coliving space was a break-even operation, so when people didn’t pay, it forced me to take on crippling high-interest debt to keep the bills paid. My goal was never to get rich at the expense of others - it was to share in the glory of community, fellowship and charity for the less fortunate.

I’ve barely paid myself anything to manage this project over the years - anyone who knows me knows how devoted I have been, and how much I risked and sacrificed to provide the safety and well-being of others, often at the expense of my own and working around the clock without pay. I’m not the only one - many other people on our team like my wife Victoria and bandmate Sean T Conlon have sacrificed countless unpaid hours hosting free community events, festivals and jam sessions that bring joy and connection into the lives of our fellow Athenians. It’s not easy letting go of our baby like this, just like it hasn’t been easy letting go of Skylar.

Rabbit Hole has been a source of nourishment and charity for so many over the years. Our community garden and food forest feeds the homeless and anyone in need. As I sit drafting this letter, gazing upon the empty shell of a dream in a now-lifeless parking lot, people from the neighborhood still stroll the fenceline collecting muscadines. Inside the building, we’ve hosted countless free community events: open jam nights, song circles, paint parties, and art and music therapy gatherings that have uplifted Athens for years. These are more than events; they are healing spaces that restore our dignity while building connection and resilience.

I now face a choice: Plan A is to find philanthropists who share this charitable vision and can help us complete the renovations and transformation into a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and/or housing cooperative, or Plan B is to liquidate the Rabbit Hole and watch it be bulldozed or turned into something mundane and void of community. I can’t give up without trying. Who knows - maybe this goes nowhere and I’m forced to sell after all. I’ve got multiple offers waiting and time is of the essence because each month that goes by drives me further into debilitating debt. But it can’t hurt to find out if Plan A is even possible and find other people like me who want to invest in helping people before I just give up and tap out of Athens.

Many other cities in this nation have adopted more lenient ordinances that allow for affordable living solutions like Tiny Homes, RVs, hostels and coliving communities. It saddens me to think Athens isn’t one of those - but it could be with your help. Together, maybe we can help fix one of the worst housing affordability crises Athens has ever experienced due to various soul-crushing factors like oppressive zoning ordinances (a.k.a. NIMBYism), inflation, Wall St speculators, and massive income inequality. A 3rd of homes in America are owned by landlords and corporations that exploit the vulnerability of the shrinking middle class.

For those who grew up in an era when you could afford a home working 40 hrs a week on minimum wage, you were blessed to be alive during the most fortunate time for the working class and consider the reality that your children will never have that opportunity again if the current trajectory continues - with the working class returning to their role as serfs renting their homes on a massive fuedal plantation from heartless corporations and land barons. For those who were able to buy homes decades ago when it was still possible to do so working entry-level jobs, and benefited from the growth of America and the massive appreciation of their properties the last few decades, I invite you to give back and help future generations follow in your footsteps by joining me on this mission.

Plan A would involve redeveloping the Rabbit Hole into a mixed-use affordable coliving space and/or low-cost hostel, fully brought up to code with fire sprinklers, roof repairs, and safer living standards. This space could provide:

-Affordable housing and emergency shelter for Athens’ most vulnerable — a lilypad to help people get back on their feet.

-Affordable offices, workshops & storage space for makers, crafters, artists, musicians, tradesmen, DoorDashers, and other self-employed people who need both stability, flexible/affordable leases and community support.

-Workforce training programs — we already have a welding trade school on board, and we are seeking more tradesmen and craftsmen to teach valuable skills to those who don’t have access to traditional education.

-Community Resilience through continued access to the garden, food forest, and the arts-based programs we’ve faithfully offered Athens for over 5 years, free of charge to anyone wanting to participate. We’re in discussions with a group of actors and playwrights who could use the space for a small-scale theatre company and mini venue. We’ve also reached out to various local non-profits who may be interested in partnering with us.

To make this vision a reality, we need to raise a few hundred thousand dollars and/or find cosigners on a loan to finance the necessary improvements. In the interim, I’ll need to find people willing to help me carry the crippling loan payments and ongoing overhead expenses while this transformation takes place. That is the purpose of this fundraiser - buy us some time while we work to implement Plan A alongside community partners. With your support, we can bring the building up to code, form a property holding company (with the goal of achieving a B Corp Certification), and create a separate non-profit entity to rent the building, manage operations and fundraise.

Here’s my vision for how we’ll make it successful and sustainable:

-Investors can fund the property acquisition and receive a below-average ROI along with a partnership stake in a new property holding company. Investors can contribute cash for equity or simply cosign on our refinance deal to help us borrow from our equity in the property to finance the build-out. I currently have a $250,000 limit on what I can borrow based on current financials, but additional cosigners could raise that significantly. If we’re unable to do this on our own, perhaps we could partner with the Athens Land Trust or a similar organization to acquire and refinance the property. Another approach could be to create a co-operative similar to those found in Atlanta such as Parkview Cooperative or East Lake Commons.

-The holding company (or land trust if we go that route) would own the land and rent it at a below-average market rate to a non-profit operating entity, with both parties bound by covenants and a shared mission to provide affordable live/work space for the Athens community with community support systems and access to social workers built in - prioritizing social welfare over ROI. I will donate over $100,000 worth of furniture, music equipment, instruments, workshop tools, art, a mobile stage and various other assets to the non-profit.

-This ownership and management structure ensures that the building remains financially sustainable while staying true to its mission: helping people, not price-gouging them. Once the non-profit entity is formed, we can apply for grants and collect donations to help subsidize the cost of rent and pay for more improvements, community events, educational opportunities and social welfare services.

This way, everyone wins:

-Investors get below-average real estate returns alongside the satisfaction of creating real impact in the lives of the most vulnerable, prioritizing charity and compassion over ROI. They can also get tax deductions for discounting rent for the non-profit operating entity.

-The non-profit gets an affordable base of operations and a property already suited for a community coliving and coworking space. We proved the concept. Now we just need the funding and support to go about it the right way and provide a higher level of safety and comfort that meets the requirements of city codes.

-The community gets affordable housing, job training, artistic experiences and opportunities, and most of all - hope. Hope that it is still possible to have nothing but the clothes on your back and find a place to rest, to rehabilitate, to grow, to learn, to connect and to express in Athens. Part halfway house, part homeless shelter, part entrepreneurial incubation space, part urban farm, part maker space, part art gallery and music venue, part trade school, part community center - it can be whatever disadvantaged people need it to be and called whatever we want it to be called. It’s a blank canvas and I invite you to paint the future with me.

I believe Athens can be a model for how cities across the nation can tackle the housing crisis and provide a liferaft to those without refuge — We can accomplish this with a little creativity, compassion, and courage. But I can’t do it alone. So here is my ask:

If you are an investor, philanthropist, developer, general contractor, tradesperson, or simply someone who believes in housing as a human right that should be affordable and equitable, I am asking you to join me on this mission. Whether you’re providing consultations and advisement, contributing donations, loans or equity investments, helping us form and operate the non-profit entity, or simply spreading the word about this mission, you can be part of turning this vision into a reality again.

For those who know what we’re all about, I invite you to share your stories of how Rabbit Hole in all its many forms has positively impacted you over the past decade, and to share this post so we can inform investors, donors and other non-profits in Athens about our track record and values and let the community know about this unique opportunity to collaborate on a charitable cause that is sorely needed in Athens. There’s been enough talk about the affordable housing crisis. Let’s start walking - If we all put our brains and pocketbooks together, maybe we can build a model that can help solve it and improve the quality of life in Athens and beyond.

This isn’t just about saving a building. It’s about preserving a cherished community resource and creating a future where Athens’ most vulnerable can find a safe place to live, heal, and pursue the American dream together.

Together, we can turn this year of tragedies for my family and my community into a year of transformation, rejuvenation and reformation. Let’s save the Rabbit Hole - revamp it, rebrand it, renovate it, resurrect it, reinvision it — and give hope a home alongside the homeless and disadvantaged.

Thanks for hearing me out,

Nick Bradfield

For any questions, comments or assistance you wish to provide, fill out our contact form at www.rabbitholestudios.org/contact

Visit our website for more info:

www.rabbitholestudios.org

Donate here:

https://gofund.me/8795fa136