Most of you that are here might know all this already, but in case you don't I'll go over the details.
I, Eric, and my business partner, Bobby, both currently work at Penny Lane Pub in downtown Richmond, Virginia. The pub is a wonderful melting pot of a place, where we have come in contact with movie stars, governors, famous musicians, and possibly even future presidents, while at the same time serving and enjoying the company of working-class people like ourselves and also those on the less-fortunate rungs of society.
We've both been tending bar there for several years now, and we've come to know the neighborhood and its inhabitants rather well. Although the money is good and the work often borders upon enjoyable, we've both reached the point where we want to strike out on our own. Both of us are family men and aging at a certain pace, and the bartending lifestyle is sometimes at odds with both of these facts.
Before you become too concerned, let me tell you some good news: We've found the solution (for us all!)! We have procured a spot in the very same neighborhood that we've been serving as bartenders for years, only we have a new twist: coffee! Also, great food, beer and wine both in-store and to go, and --oh yeah-- records! Too hip, you say? Don't worry, we'll keep it toned down (for the most part), as we want our coffee house to have the same vibe as the pub: everyone is welcome but no nonsense is allowed. We think you'll love it.
Why tell you all this? Well, we would like your help. And we know you're out there. And again, we think you'll love it.
Currently we have all the equipment we need in the shop and ready to go. We have orders waiting to be placed for food and beverages. We have thousands of records aching to be sold to someone who will treat them nicely and enjoy their sonic delights. We've had rent abatement for several months, but construction delays out of our control have brought impending reality to the fore. We want to be open, and we want to be open soon, and we may need your help.
With your help, we will be able to open in a timely manner (we're now shooting for mid-January, 2014), while making sure we provide the highest quality experience for both our customers and employees alike. Bobby and I are willing to tough it out as penniless grunts for the promise of a future reward, but we don't expect that of anyone else. Without the revenue we would have had from being open already, we need just an extra push to get us to our goal: A fully operational coffee house/restaurant/record store that you love to be in and we love to give you.
We've come up with an interesting list of perks, from stickers, gift certificates, and wearable schwag, to DJed parties and personal wooing via song. Also, there may be an as-yet-unmentioned extra perk at each level, if all comes together in the right way and time permits. Hope for the best!
Our monetary goal would put us over the top, in the sense that we could easily segue out of our old jobs and begin the new job of bringing you an awesome coffee shop and record store experience with full force! Either way, this will happen, but don't you want to know that YOU had a part in making it happen? Plus, you get to have things that no one else gets to have! Take that, other people!
You, and only you, can help make this happen. Like we mentioned above, it's going to happen in some way/shape/or form regardless, but you can make it happen in the way that it was meant to happen! I'm calling you to action, don't you get it?
Whether you are able to give monetarily or not, you can still help further by telling others about our campaign. Just think of us as fighting the good fight, and you're on our side (or we're on yours, whatever it takes). Spreading the word helps us all.
