Support me in growing Forest Friendly, your local community eco/refill store
5.5 years ago I founded Forest Friendly and what a journey it has been. Providing the community initially with a very small range of packaged eco products, to growing into household refills, adding food and most recently fruit and vegetables. I've been flexible to the needs of the community and the shop has morphed to reflect that. It's very important to me to provide the shop that you want!
While the changes have been substantial and fantastic - they have come with added costs. The increased amount of fruit and vegetables needed to supply my regular shoppers and the local foodbank means a custom display needs to be built to hold more.
The heating no longer works and the kitchen area needs a big update, including installation of a dishwasher.
So far everything has been done through the use of second hand furniture and displays - a lot of which has been donated by you and has been integral to the business. However a lot of which now has tears, and parts missing and desperately needs an upgrade after several years of heavy use.
Although the business is seeing new faces all the time and is growing steadily, the financial pressures provided by the increased costs such as electric and the more local pressures given by the flooding plus the bridge and road issues most recently means the added extras needed for growth and to make the shop more comfortable and welcoming aren't obtainable. Ideally I would prefer to use grants but unfortunately there are none available to my business. Until now I've always used shop revenue alongside furniture donations to fund any growth but I've reached a sticking point and am currently unable to move forward as much as I would like too and to provide the shopping experience you deserve.
What do I need help with?
1) First and Foremost priority is the heating, it's not feasible to continue in such a cold building. It's not enjoyable for me or you. I am working really hard to create a welcoming and warm community eco hub. The lack of warm makes that increasingly hard to achieve.
2) The fruit and veg display desperately needs an upgrade and expansion so I can increase the offering of produce - something which is much needed and heavily requested.
3) The kitchen area needs seriously updating. Until now I've operated on a basic level and haven't put a lot into the upstairs area. Adding a dishwasher would majorly reduce my work load in terms of washing up and would be able to be run overnight meaning I don't need to lock the door to be upstairs.
If I'm really lucky and manage to achieve more than expected I would love to install a glass fronted freezer and fridge so it's easier to see what I have inside.
These upgrades will all be done using local businesses - this is something very important to me that any donated money is spent within the local community.
Thank you so much for any support you are able to give - even if it's just reading this far.
I value every single customer who steps through my door and thought very long and hard about launching this campaign. It was the suggestion of several customers that convinced me. With your help I'm excited to grow and listen to the needs of the community to provide the shop you want. For a better way of shopping and a better healthier planet.