In Waterbury, Vermont, a sleepy municipality of approximately 5,500 people, there is a beacon of kindness in the form of a restaurant known as Stowe Street Cafe.
Would you believe this cafe has 68 community investors who invested $75,000 to help them grow?
Read on to learn more about Stowe Street Cafe’s story, and how they were able to add on an entire extra day of service, creating jobs in the process, thanks to community investment with Honeycomb Credit.
Coffee with a side of core values.
Owner Nicole Grenier opened up Stowe Street Cafe after a 25+ year career in children’s mental health to fulfill a lifelong dream and be closer to her family. Since its establishment in 2015, Stowe Street Cafe has become a beloved icon of the community, and has been recognized statewide for their commitment to quality and kindness.
Stowe Street Cafe is so “much more than a coffee shop.” It’s also a community hub for their neighbors, local artists, and local food purveyors. The cafe is also a champion of diversity in their community and offers items from local women-owned, LGBTQ+ owned, fair trade, and diverse businesses who share their core values.
“Our intention really is to create a space where everyone feels that this space is here for them. We truly want people to feel that they are welcome here and are very much a part of this community that means so much to us,” says Nicole.
Their building not only houses the cafe, but also affordable housing for community members and a Community Kitchen for small food businesses to utilize to grow.
It goes without saying that when you walk in the doors at Stowe Street Cafe, you can find more than just a cup of coffee - you can find a safe and supportive environment where you can connect with your neighbors.
Community coffee shop, meet community investment
Stowe Street Cafe had gotten so popular that Nicole found that they needed to be able to open another whole day a week, and to hire staff to run it! This was going to take a bit of up-front capital, so she decided to host an investment offering with Honeycomb Credit.
The purpose of the investment offering was to reinstate their Tuesday hours and reintroduce a Weekend Brunch service to meet growing demand. It would also allow the cafe to grow their catering program and rent out its Community Kitchen.
This Community Kitchen is a vital resource in the community that offers a low-cost space for small food businesses to create their product and get a start in the region. This makes Stowe Street Cafe not only an important employer in their community, but also a huge supporter of their regional food system as a whole!
It’s no surprise that members of their community were beyond excited to invest in this local favorite business. “Stowe Street Cafe is an invaluable community resource. Very glad to support your plans for the future!” says Maggie Landau, an investor. “You go, Nicole!”
In just under 30 hours since launching their Honeycomb campaign, Stowe Street Cafe had raised $53,575 in investments, with just $21,425 left to go to reach their maximum goal.
Investors were also impressed by the breadth of impact that Stowe Street Cafe has on their community. “You had me at affordable housing and a community kitchen. Invested.” says investor Stan Brinkerhoff.
Some of their investors included other small business owners in the area. “Stowe Street Cafe has given so much to the Waterbury and small business communities,” says Mieko Ozeki, owner of Radiance Studios. “This is an opportunity to continue our investment in us.”
In a short amount of time thanks to community investments, Stowe Street Cafe was able to reach their maximum goal of $75,000. Now they are open six days a week, including Weekend Brunch service, while remaining true to their core values.
Grow your community and your business at the same time
Stories like that of Stowe Street Cafe are so inspiring because you can see how by giving to the community in your business and growing alongside them, the community will return the favor by investing in you. Learn more about Honeycomb Credit and community investment by filling out the form below!
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