EDITION 02: August 2025

An overdue update

Where we’re at

In our last update, we were finishing up the ceiling and lighting which we thought would be the biggest project throughout our renovations. Boy were we wrong! For those who have been wondering, “what’s the hold up?” the answer is basically one word: plumbing. To bring everything up to code and create a barrier-free customer washroom, we had to tear out and rebuild a lot more than we had originally thought. The good news is, after almost three months of being tied up in that project, we are finally ready to move on with our race toward getting everything tidy and ready to open.

The drywall is up, the bulk bins are here and waiting to be washed, sanitized, and filled with bulk goodies, our kids play area is constructed, our sink and sanitizer are hooked up, our coffee roaster awaits a new chimney, and underneath all this mess is a cozy cafe and bulk refillery waiting to be uncovered. HUUUGE thanks to all of the lovely, amazing people who’ve helped us so far with moving stuff in from storage, cleaning, drywalling, painting, support with our electrical work, carpentry, and donating items for us to reuse.

More thank-yous

To everyone who has pre-purchased a gift card and/or a membership, thank you so much for believing in us and supporting us! Funds are extremely tight so we truly appreciate each and every dollar you’ve been able to contribute. Gift cards will be available for pre-purchase right up until our opening day so tell your friends!

Another big thank you to the folks at Good Note Community Farm and everyone who attended this year’s Spring Festival. We had the best time and we were able to secure $2000 in donations which is huge!!

Financial Update:

We are still short of our financial goal and need to secure more funds from our community by donation or pre-purchase of gift cards in order to purchase all of the inventory we need. Please, if you can, spread the word about our exciting new coop and the opportunity to support a local grassroots eco friendly cafe and bulk store, AND get your money PLUS 5% in gift card value back.

We are also exploring options for larger loans. If you or someone you know might be interested in exploring this option with us, please reach out!

Volunteers Needed!

Now that the ball is rolling again with the plumbing situation out of the way, we could really use some helping hands over the next few weeks to expedite the process of getting the finishing touches ready. Some things we need help with include cleaning, running bulk bins and jars through the sanitizer, painting, and organizing. If you’d like to help out, please let us know when you are available by sending us a message or replying to this email.

Upcoming Events:

Sunday, August 24: Viva Italia Viva Edmonton (VIVE) Festival, Giovanni Caboto Park 1:00-6:00pm.

We will be selling freshly grilled green onion cakes outside our front door for the duration of the festival. Come say hi, grab a bite, and explore the best of Little Italy.

Saturday, August 30: VegFest Edmonton 2025, Athlone Community Hall 11:00am-7:00pm.

VegFest returns with a lineup of amazing local vendors, food trucks, speakers, and activities for veggie enthusiasts and the veg-curious.

Thanks again to everyone for your ongoing support. We are so grateful for what we’ve been able to accomplish so far, and we really couldn’t have done it without you all. We hope to be open for business very soon and we’re so looking forward to the day we can finally welcome everyone in.

Yours in cooperation, 

Christina