A pair of social-media-savvy sweet tooths are nearing the opening of their artisan donut shop thanks to contributions they raised using a social fundraising site.
Dawn Lee & Laura Kennedy
used Kickstarter.com to solicit startup capital for their new business,
The Donut Cooperative, which is due to open later this fall at 3507 23rd Ave. S. in Minneapolis.
"We love food. We love local food, and we love sweets," says Dawn Lee. "Nobody had really been doing artisan donuts, or local, sustainable donuts. There's really good options for cupcakes in that way, but not donuts. Other cities have it, and we think Minneapolis is awesome and really deserved good donuts."
The idea of opening their own donut shop started out as a joke, but then one day they asked themselves: why not?
They set up a fundraising page on Kickstarter.com, and then promoted it via Facebook and Twitter. Their goal was to collect $10,000 in 45 days. Instead, they took in over $12,000.
That money is helping them pay for all the small things that really add up when setting up a business: filing city permits, registering their business and trademarks, and finding the right location.
Lee and Kennedy were working to open the shop within two months. Meanwhile, they've been taking their creations out for special events and sharing them with donors to get feedback and build buzz.
Source: Dawn Lee, The Donut Cooperative
Writer:
Dan Haugen