Introduction

The Well is a place for people to come together for herbal drinks, food, kava, and tea in North Oakland.  We believe deeply that food is medicine and are working to re-ignite the collective wisdom of our ancestors and to put this traditional knowledge back in the hands of the people. We do this by serving delicious drinks and food, working with small local farmers, hosting educational workshops, and offering everything at affordable prices. The Well is now under new ownership, and we are planning to reopen on August 1st, 2018.

What is staying the same?

I am planning to continue many aspects of The Well business as was run by the previous owner Marielle. I hope to continue stewarding beloved community and I am committed to keeping the space as accessible, diverse, and inclusive as possible for all folks. Herbal drinks and eats will still be the focus of The Well, as reflected in our new menu. We will also continue to offer workshop space for community teachings. It will continue to be a kid friendly zone with toys and high chairs easily available. We will continue to source our ingredients from sustainable and ethical sources and strive to be as local and organic as possible. We will continue to pay our employees fair wages and offer benefits.

What is changing?

We will be creating a retail line of organic Chinese teas, drinking chocolate, and golden milk. We will have a space for tea ceremonies. We will also be adding kava to our menu. Kava is a root from the Pacific Islands that has relaxing and socializing effects. With the addition of kava and our hopes of being an alternative nightlife lounge, we will be expanding our hours to Mondays-Fridays 9am-midnight, Saturdays 9am-6pm with select special evening events, and Sundays 9am-9pm. We will also offer one “karma bowl” and “karma drink” per day. These will be “pay what you can” meals in order to keep healthy food accessible to the entire community. The karma bowls will be rotating rice bowls with fresh greens, vegetarian proteins, and culinary herbs. The karma drinks will be rotating herbal teas served hot or cold. We will also be adding a cold case for grab-and-go items. Additionally, we will be adding weekly community events, such as open mics, art nights, and curated workshops.

What Are You Funding?

I have already committed $90,000 of my personal saving to the buying of the business. We need around $24,000 more to implement some incredible changes listed below. My hope is to avoid high-interest bank loans and instead try out this alternative model of crowdfunding. Thank you for participating in the next economy. 

• Expanded kava bar
• Chinese tea tasting & ceremony corner
• Cold case for grab-and-go items
• Stage for community events like open mic
• Expanded outdoor seating (with vertical gardens!)
• More lounge seating
• PA system for open mic and performances
• Kava and teaware
• Initial stock of retail section for local herbalists & creators
• Commercial egg cooker
• Kombucha on tap
• Marketing & communications
• Rainy day cushion
• Ability to hang curated community art
• An indoor living wall
• New retail shelving
• Dishwasher
• Projectors to showcase local filmmakers

What you get

We have some incredible perks that are offered at discount rates exclusively for this Indiegogo campaign! These perks include in-house options for local folks, such as a month of unlimited kava & tea, food and drink cards, workshop hosting, and private catered parties. The perks also include our amazing retail line that can be shipped to anywhere in the US for folks who aren't Bay Area based but still want to support The Well. This retail line includes organic Chinese teas, herbal teas, golden milk, and drinking chocolate blends.  And the best part - you can gift all of these perks to loved ones!