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Cuties Coffee Bar

A queer owned and operated coffee bar and community space in Los Angeles.

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Cuties Coffee Bar

Cuties Coffee Bar

Cuties Coffee Bar

Cuties Coffee Bar

Cuties Coffee Bar

A queer owned and operated coffee bar and community space in Los Angeles.

A queer owned and operated coffee bar and community space in Los Angeles.

A queer owned and operated coffee bar and community space in Los Angeles.

A queer owned and operated coffee bar and community space in Los Angeles.

Virginia & Iris
Virginia & Iris
Virginia & Iris
Virginia & Iris
1 Campaign |
Los Angeles, United States
$30,711 USD 464 backers
61% of $50,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal
Overview
Cuties is a queer-centered coffee bar opening in Los Angeles, CA. Our goal is to build and strengthen community by providing an affirming venue where people on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum can congregate and socialize. This project is a direct way to create the space that we desperately need. We're planning on opening in the Spring of 2017. Join us in making this a reality.

Cuties Coffee Bar is a tool to create space and fund community events in Los Angeles. We have been providing space for the queer community over the past year with our popular monthly event "Queers, Coffee & Donuts," and our weekly newsletter. Now we want a space that is open 7 days a week.

Bars, nightclubs, and LGBT centers have been important venues for queer activism and we want to see more local spaces for queers and allies to interact. We want daytime businesses where we can see familiar and friendly faces from our community behind the counter serving us. We want spaces where we know our identities will be respected and understood. We want spaces where we can just be.

Feelings of isolation impact the LGBTQIA+ community deeply and that strain is increasing. For queer folks, leaving the house and going out in the world can feel like a radical and herculean task. You are giving people something to look forward to, whether it's a smiling face behind the coffee bar in the morning or workshops and classes in the evenings. With Cuties, queer folks in Los Angeles (and those arriving in our city for sanctuary) will know there's a place for them waiting with open doors and open hearts.

We have an exciting  location that’s perfect for a community oriented coffee bar. While the building is in great shape, the interior does need renovation. We’ll be updating the plumbing, building a new bar, adding seating, upgrading security, and improving accessibility.

Cuties Coffee Bar is happening, even if we don’t reach our Indiegogo goal. We are prepared to fill any fundraising gaps with a small business loan and continue with our work as planned.

Time and budget over-runs are the norm for retail build-outs. To help counteract this, we are overseeing all of the projects in the shop until we open and doing many of the projects ourselves. For larger and more complex projects we are working with skilled tradespeople who can deliver. Our budget includes overages for materials and labor.

Rewards

In addition to creating a safer space for queer folks, you’ll receive exclusive rewards from this campaign. Proudly wear your support for Cuties with a limited edition enamel Donor Pin or show off your identity with a set of enamel Pronoun Pins.

There’s also a limited run of hand thrown coffee mugs by ceramicist Becki Chernoff. At higher donation levels we’ll laser etch your name onto a subway tile that will grace the walls of the coffee bar.

 

Other Ways You Can Help

If you believe in what we're doing, please share this campaign. Share it within the community. Share it with allies and let them know this is a way they can show up. We've made a page of easily sharable messages for Facebook and Twitter here. If you’re in the LA area, you can help by distributing fliers and business cards around the city to advertise this campaign. Email us at fund@hicuties.com for more info.

You can also support us by being present in the community. Sign up for our weekly newsletter  highlighting queer events in Los Angeles or like us on Facebook.

Press!


 

Update 1 - February 12th:

Go the extra tile for your love. It’s almost Valentine’s Day! Flowers wilt, milk chocolates can give you gas, puppies poop everywhere. This Valentine’s Day consider making a grand gesture that will last.

Starting at $100 we’ll laser the names you and your loved one (up to 70 characters) onto a subway tile that will grace the walls of our coffee bar for all to see. Want more space to say what you feel or commemorate all the folks in your big, loving, queer family? At $200 you’ll get double the characters (140 to be exact) to express yourself and your love!

Let’s celebrate love: queer love, trans love, romantic love, aromantic love, love of smashing the patriarchy, love of our friends, love of our partners, love of ourselves. By memorializing your love in a Cuties tile you’ll be showing folks where your heart is and you’ll be showing queer folks in LA that you love them too.

Take a peek at the images below to see an example of the laser etching process that can enshrine your love on our walls.

 

Update 2 - February 15th

Hey Cuties! We took occupancy of our space last week!

We are now ready for a little bit of infrastructure improvement and eager to clean up the floors and the walls. You can see our progress in the picture below.

Right now we are at 18% of our funding goal. Do you know anyone else that can help us reach 100%? Please share the campaign with them. 

We've put together a few different ideas for you to share it easily at http://hicuties.com/share

Thank you for your generosity thus far. 

 

Update 3 - February 22:

Beautiful ceramics and hot coffee belong together. If you contribute $150 you can take home a one-of-a-kind reward to commemorate your support.

LA-based ceramic artist Becki Chernoff is creating mugs available exclusively during our indiegogo campaign! The mugs are hand thrown and each one comes with its own unique design. We love her playful yet grounded aesthetic.  When describing the mugs she's creating for us she said, "I'll be using tape resist and soldate clay which is a stoneware with matte white glaze"

We visited Becki in the studio for a peak into her process. Enjoy the video below and let photos to wet your appetite for this special reward. You can see more of Becki's work by following her on instagram @bxceramics. She also offers private wheel throwing tutoring sessions if you're an aspiring or seasoned ceramicist. 

Update 4 - March 21:

Leslie has been to QCD since the very beginning. In the video below he talks to us about building community and what a physical Cuties location would mean to him.

Update 5 - March 21:

We have approval on our plans from the Los Angeles Health Department. You can see renders of the coffee shop below.

 


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Choose your Perk

Thank you!

$10 USD
You’ll receive a special email showing our gratitude.
Estimated Shipping
April 2017
11 claimed

Donor Pin + Coffee

$25 USD
Enjoy a cup of coffee on us. You’ll also receive a limited edition Donor Pin made just for this campaign.
Estimated Shipping
April 2017
90 claimed
Ships to United States of America

Pronoun and Donor Pin + Coffee

$50 USD
Get one pronoun pin of your choosing: they/them/theirs, she/her/hers, he/him/his. Email us if you don't see your pronouns and we’ll figure out how to suit your needs. You’ll get a cup of coffee on the house and our Donor Pin, too.
Estimated Shipping
April 2017
30 claimed
Ships to United States of America

Full Set of Pins + Coffee

$75 USD
Set of 3 Pronoun Pins: they/them/theirs, she/her/hers, he/him/his. Keep 'em all or share with friends! Email us if you don't see your pronouns and we’ll figure out how to suit your needs. You’ll get a cup of coffee on the house and our Donor Pin, too.
Estimated Shipping
April 2017
9 claimed
Ships to United States of America

Name a Tile

$100 USD
We’ll laser etch the name(s) of your choosing onto a subway tile that will grace the walls of our coffee bar. You get up to 70 characters (including spaces). Content subject to approval.
Estimated Shipping
April 2017
44 out of 100 of claimed

Cuties Mug

$150 USD
Own a hand thrown stoneware mug from ceramicist Becki Chernoff. Each one is unique and only available during our campaign.
Estimated Shipping
April 2017
15 out of 100 of claimed
Ships to United States of America

Sponsor Tile

$200 USD
We’ll laser etch up to 140 characters (including spaces) of your choosing onto a subway tile that will be proudly displayed on the walls of our coffee shop. This perk is perfect if you have something to say to future Cuties customers or want to go in on a tile with friends & family! Content is subject to approval.
Estimated Shipping
April 2017
17 out of 75 of claimed

Cuties Club + Tile

$400 USD
Join the Cuties Club! You’ll receive 1 cup of our coffee per day, every day in the shop for a whole year. You'll also have 140 characters (including spaces) to make your mark on one of our laser etched subway tiles that will be displayed in the shop. Content subject to approval.
Estimated Shipping
April 2017
2 out of 10 of claimed

Donut Making with Virginia

$500 USD
If you’ve been to a Queers, Coffee & Donuts you KNOW how good Virginia’s donuts are. Learn her secrets in a private class just for you (or you and 4 more)! These donuts are truly a treasure. You’ll also receive a copy of the recipe in a hardbound book of “The Lost Art of Real Cooking." This reward is only available to folks in Los Angeles, California.
Estimated Shipping
April 2017
2 out of 5 of claimed

Founder Tile

$1,000 USD
There’s nothing extra special about this laser etched subway tile or this reward but there is something special about you and your support! You'll have 140 characters (including spaces) and content is subject to approval.
Estimated Shipping
April 2017
1 out of 5 of claimed

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