Just over a month ago we anxiously launched our crowdfunding campaign. It was an incredible culmination of months of work and years of dreaming; and while we were excited and nervous beyond belief we could only hope that our community believed in us and the great future we had been working on. After 31 days of disbelief, nerves, excitement, overwhelming support, and radiant joy we are so honoured to announce the end of our Reimagine Groceries crowdfunding campaign! We finished with an astounding total of 856 individual donations, which has helped us raise over $88,000. We want to thank everyone for getting us this far, and for trusting us and supporting us on our mission to bring a package-free grocery store to London.
Whether you donated directly, shared our campaign, or supported us throughout the process, we are profoundly grateful. These funds have already allowed us to begin renovating and updating the building, and will continue to help us finish building renovations moving forward.Â
This past week, we had a building inspection by the City and a pre-inspection by the Health Unit, which both went smoothly. We also met with a grocery consultant with many years’ experience, who is helping us think about customer flow in our new space, how best to showcase our products, and create the best possible customer experience. We have new (to us) handwashing sinks that are installed, as well as a commercial dishwasher and a backup sanitizing station. Next up is the drywall team, and after that, it’s time to paint, move equipment in, and get our package-free groceries onto the shelves and into the bulk bins and coolers! Barring any major delays, we are on track to open in November!
The funds raised will also be used for equipment that will help to directly minimize food waste, and provide more package-free grocery alternatives to Londoners and beyond.
The $13,000 we raised after surpassing the stretch goal will go directly to implementation of community initiatives and workshops to help increase our waste reduction efforts, and provide accessible community supports to Londoners on their zero waste journeys.
We are thankful for every member of this amazing community, and are incredibly humbled by the support and trust you have given to us during this uncertain time. We are so excited to continue to co-create this space with you all, and to be able to welcome you in person soon.