To our beloved community:

Hi everyone! I'm Ami, the owner of Doki Doki Kawaii Shop in Lakewood, Ohio! I'm sure most of you already know me!  As you may have heard, we found an opportunity for an exciting transformation and we couldn't turn it down: moving our beloved store into a larger, more magical space! This expansion is absolutely crucial to accommodate our growing community and to provide an even better experience for all our beloved customers. We've really outgrown our little shop, as much as I love that space and what we've been able to provide. But we've quickly discovered we don't have enough room for not only the merchandise we want to provide, but the events we host as well. We really want to provide so much more for you, and we finally found a chance to do it!

Why we're asking for help:

We opened a little over a year ago, and spent a considerable amount of our funds in renovating the space we're currently in. We can bring our shelving with us to the new space, but that's it. As you can imagine, the loss is pretty significant. So we're going to have to paint, tear down walls, put in new flooring, etc, all over again. It's a really big financial burden. But we decided the risk is worth it because of how much our community means to us and how much more we can provide in a larger space. It's a little bittersweet having to move out of the space we put so much work into. Which is why your contribution will be incredibly helpful and so meaningful to this undertaking. 

We're going to do all the labor ourselves to save costs.  The amount we're asking for isn't enough to cover all the renovation costs, but it'll help enough to take the edge off. This is why we're reaching out to our community to help us with our renovation funds.

For transparency, the funds will specifically go into:

- Painting, flooring, wall tear-downs, new light fixtures, drywall, doors, and additional tables and chairs

The Impact:

This is truly an investment in our community. Our space is absolutely a community space and safe haven for so many folks, especially women and queer folks who don’t typically have nerd spaces centered on them and their safety and comfort. With more room, we'll be able to accommodate far more people and host far more variety of events that give opportunities for people in our community to meet and befriend like-minded folks in a safe and welcoming environment.

We really want to lean in heavily on becoming a "third space." If you're not familiar with the term, its a concept of a neutral space that isn't your home or workplace. It's free from expecations or the need for productivity. It's a space where you can be yourself, cultivate connections with similar people and feel at ease. Having a third space is a place to escape from loneliness, feel part of a community and engage with interests you're passionate about. It's a place to escape the grind of life, a place that can feel healing and have a positive impact on your emotional and mental wellbeing . Some people go to third places to just to be around other people and rest while just enjoying the ambience and white noise. There's so many benefits to having a third space, and we want to be that for you.

We have big dreams for what we can do for our community. Please help us reach it!

Wait, where are you moving to?!

Hehehehe! Just two doors down! We’ll still be in the same building, but we’re going to move to the two empty units on the other side of our lovely neighbor, Dang Good Foods. So we’ll be TWICE AS BIG! 

Other Ways You Can Help:

If you're unable to contribute financially, there are still plenty of ways to support our campaign! Spread the word to your friends, family, and fellow anime enthusiasts, and help us make some noise about our exciting expansion. Don't forget to use the Indiegogo share tools to amplify our message and reach even more supporters!

Thank you for considering our campaign, and we can't wait to welcome you to our new and improved Doki Doki Kawaii Shop!

With so much love and sparkly eyes,

Ami, James, Natalie, and Artemis