Crowdsourcing Mornings: Kifani Press Book Store And No Basis Co

By Nathan Young on May 29, 2023

Welcome to the Crowdsourcing Mornings segment! Every weekday morning, Geek Alabama talks about and features one crowdsourcing project from crowdsourcing sites such as Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and others. The hope with Crowdsourcing Mornings is to feature and help a project be successful and reach its fundraising goal. Please enjoy today’s featured project!

Please read our crowdsourcing guidelines at: https://geekalabama.com/media-kit-pr/geek-alabama-crowdsourcing-guidelines

Althea Young and sisters, April Foxx and Ashley Foxx Davis, are three Black, female business owners in downtown Memphis.

We want to diversify the downtown area and become permanent storefronts, but we need your help!

We each applied and were approved for the Open on Main Retail Initiative in 2022. The Downtown Memphis Commission’s OPEN ON MAIN Initiative pairs emerging retailers and entrepreneurs with vacant storefronts in Downtown. The program is designed to help retailers test their market-strategies and to create a stronger retail ecosystem and better pedestrian experience in our core city. The spaces available provided us with rent-free opportunities for tenants to temporarily showcase their businesses on Main Street (usually, one month or longer). (Source: http://www.downtownmemphis.com)

Now, we have an opportunity to apply for two grants, an Exterior Improvement Grant and the Retail Improvement Grant, that can provide structural and cosmetic improvements and help us secure a multi-year lease at our shared location.

The structural improvements will be reimbursable, but we would need to make an upfront investment. We also hope to make an upfront investment for a multi-year lease that will allow our businesses to grow and thrive in an ideal location.

There are currently few black-owned children’s book and toy stores in Memphis. There also aren’t many custom-apparel shops in the city either. Our location will also be ideal because the area will soon experience exponential growth, including the opening of the new Cossitt Library, Brooks Art Museum, and Tom Lee Park.

As of May 29th, this project has raised $20,800 of their $30,000 goal. This project has 2 days left to raise the $30,000 or it will not be funded. For a pledge of $25, you will get a thank you gift pack. For a pledge of $50, you will get a $10 gift card to use at their store. To learn more and to pledge money, go to: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kifaniandnobasis/kifani-press-book-store-and-no-basis-co?

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