NURISH Food + Drink will be located in the new Anacostia Arts Center

Clovest just launched a campaign to fund the NURISH Food + Drink cafe that is coming to the Anacostia Arts Center. If you recall I did a recap of the community meeting that ADC held on May 30th, if you missed the meeting go HERE to read all about it. Bringing quality food and drink options to Ward 8 is a very good thing.

NURISH Food + Drink is trying to raise $25,000 for their Anacostia cafe!

Go HERE to learn more or to make a pledge! NURISH has to meet their funding goal by July 28, 2013 or they won't get any of the pledges. This is an "all of nothing" campaign so please give now if you can -- you'll even get your money back! 



This is such a novel concept that I would really like to see it work. Contributions to the funding campaign aren't donations -- they are interest free loans! Lenders are paid back over 12 quarters (that's 3 years for you non business folks). How awesome is this for a small business in need of some startup funds?! How awesome is this for residents (or supporters) who want to take an active stance in bringing more small businesses to their neighborhood?!

If you are anything like me I am sure you are asking yourself, "What/Who is Clovest?"
Well, here you go direct from their website:

"Clovest is a funding platform for business projects. On Clovest, businesses can raise funding from their customers and communities in the form of a zero interest loan. We provide the web platform, payment solution, and legal framework necessary to make such community-led funding possible. Unlike other funding platforms, funders on Clovest projects have their contributions  repaid  by businesses on a quarterly basis! With Clovest, local businesses not only undertake growth projects at reasonable cost (view our  fees ), but also do so with the explicit support of their communities."

Now that we have giving you an introductory course on what Clovest can do, here is a little information on why you should do it for NURISH.

NURISH is seeking funding to open a new café in Historic Anacostia to be housed in the Anacostia Arts Center. The  Anacostia Arts Center is a 9300 sq ft space that includes the Black Box Theater, five galleries & boutiques, a short term exhibition gallery called Blank Space SE, the NURISH café, and an 800 square feet lounge area.  

The arts center is a project of the  ARCH Development Corporation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating a home for small businesses, artists, arts and cultural organizations to fulfill its commitment to the revitalization and sustainable economic development of Historic Anacostia. It is also home to the  DC Hive, a creative and shared workspace for freelancers, satellite offices, and small businesses. 

The NURISH café will will serve quality coffee drinks, beer & wine, healthy, fresh sandwiches, salads, charcuterie plates, and pastries to patrons of the Anacostia Arts Center as well as provide a space for on-the-job training and culinary spotlights for members of the NURISH food incubator program. The cafe will contribute 15% of its profits to its sister non-profit, the NURISH Center for a Creative Culinary Economy, which will operate an entrepreneurial training program for young adults in Anacostia who have a passion for the food business. 

Specifically, we need funding to purchase the following items:

• An espresso machine

• Drip coffee brewers 

• Beer refrigerators

• Worktop refrigerators

• Cafe furniture

By funding our project, you'll not only help build a cafe that will serve the patrons of the Anacostia Arts Center, but will also be directly involved in the revitalization and sustainable development of Historic Anacostia. And, of course, you'll be repaid your contributions over the next three years! 

So join us as we create a new space for artists and entrepreneurs and enrich the cultural offerings of Historic Anacostia.