From the 6th June to the 8th July we’re inviting friends and members to help launch East End Independents’ Day via a fixed funding IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign. The aim is to hold an annual day to champion the kaleidoscopic diversity of small independent businesses that give the East End its famous character on Small Business Saturday 3rd December this year.
Fixed funding means the EETG can only deliver this new initiative if we make the £20,000 target! We would like to say a big thank you to all our 56 supporters who’ve helped us to reach the half way point, including;
A. Gold, Ally Capellino, Baddeley Brothers, Bernsteins’, Cafe Caribbean, Caravan Style, Caroline Bousfield – Master Potter, C.E Burns Waste Paper Merchants, Choosing Keeping, Crescent Trading, Dazzle Ship, The Deli Downstairs, Duke Of Uke, Fabrications, Five Points Brewing Company, Gardners’ Bags, Genesis Cinema, GH Cityprint, Ince Umbrellas, InSpitalfields, Johnston Architecture & Design, La Bouche, Labour & Wait, Leyden Gallery, Lily Vanilli, Luke Jacob, Luna & Curious, Mama Thai, Mercadito Productions, Milagros, Nelly Duff, Nom Living, Play Vinyl, Plot London, SAS HR Ltd, Source Lifestyle, Splice TV & Film, Tatty Devine , Urban Species, Spitalfields Farm, Suzzle, Turning Earth and the Whitechapel Coffee Company.
With your help we want to work with all the small businesses that pledge their advance membership to develop bespoke events and walking tours on Independents’ Day and produce a new map with James Brown and Herb Lester so that the world knows exactly where to find them.
Globalisation and the powers that shape urban development, combined with inflated rents and taxes threaten to make the East End bland and homogeneous, by displacing even the most viable of small independents. Yet small businesses are the starting point for social and economic innovation, aligning commerce with the common good. EETG members are the “face of the community” for international visitors and locals, serving 520,000 people per month. EETG businesses know an average of 80 customers by name and in total have a turnover of £77 million. If we can raise the funding goal, this new initiative will celebrate the social, economic and cultural value that small businesses bring to East End neighbourhoods.
The public can also help keep the East End thriving and distinctive as a Friend of the EETG or make a one off donation and as a thank you snap up a uniquely special reward, lovingly made by EETG members. There are genuine treasures on offer from Gardners’ Bags, Spitalfields Life, Tatty Devine, Ally Capellino Lily Vanilli. The Duke of Uke, Café Caribbean, Baddeley Brothers, Milagros, and more.
This hand made limitied edition Tatty Devine brooch is especially made for our Friends of the EETG reward. For £75 our first ‘friends’ will recieve the wooden brooch pictured below, a James Brown print, an EETG tote, a map of members and have access to our monthly socials where they can meet our members in person. And as a big thank you we’re going to have a BBQ and campfire on 7th August from 5pm to 9pm, all our friends, members and supporters will be invited.
While £20,000 might seem ambitious, if all our social media followers selected our tote bag reward for £12 that would exceed the target! Please follow the link to become a member, a friend or snap up a one off reward as modelled here by Paul Gardner’s son Stephen – http://bit.ly/1stS9ND. We can’t do it without you!
“I think the idea of an Independents Day is brilliant! Small independents should be celebrated, whether you’ve got a shop or an industrial space, or if you run a service” Rosie Wolfenden – Managing Director – Tatty Devine, EETG Founding Members.
Contact Guild organiser Krissie Nicolson who can arrange interviews with businesses, supply photographs and further information:
T – 07910 966738
E – krissie@eastendtradesguild.org.uk