Customers kickstart shop facelift
OWNERS of a health food and delicatessen shop in the centre of Lochgilphead have been overwhelmed by the support they received for their crowdfunding campaign.
Jennifer and Everett Jaime, owners of Marmalade Deli on Argyll Street, started a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to help raise money for the refurbishment of their shop and successfully met their fundraising target, 0 days before the deadline.
Marmalade Deli has raised just over £6,000, surpassing the target of £ ,250, all thanks to kind donations and support from customers and friends.
‘I think we got lucky,’ Jenn said, ‘the support of our friends, family and loyal clientele completely took us by surprise. But we had fun doing it and maybe that came across.’
Jenn continued: ‘To be honest, we haven’t had the revenue to justify works prior to this. If it wasn’t for the success of the fundraising campaign, our plans would still be on hold.’
The shop, previously home to Cockles, was taken over by the couple last year and they have been keen to redecorate ever since. Everett explained: ‘Some people still don’t reali e that the shop is under new ownership, so it seems appropriate to freshen up the place and finally make it our own’.
The campaign has meant a bit more to Jenn and Everett than just the refurbishment of Marmalade and the couple feel that more work can be done to rejuvenate Argyll Street.
Despite closures of independent shops and with a number of shops lying empty in Lochgilphead, Everett remains positive about the future of local shops and small business owners. ‘Consumer trends are cyclical,’ he says, ‘when people see the character of the high street dying, they’ll come to realise the power in voting local with their hardearned pounds.’
If you’d like to know more about the campaign, go to the video link on their website at marmaladedeli.com.