In this issue:Chip In Update * Gift Card Investment Opportunity * Events * New Business on the Block!
Announcing Thankful Thursdays
Inspired by our patrons support we are pleased to offer HALF OFF any appetizer every Thursday in August!
Quick Links
Gaia Mama
So many people have been interested in another side project of Dandelion - that baby belly Julie is sporting! The little sprout is due August 22nd, so you might see a little bit less of Julie around the cafe in the next month or two, but you can keep up to date on her planned homebirth on her mama blog:Gaia Mama
Michael Arthur would like to announce the opening of his new acupuncture studio: Michael Arthur
Acupuncture The studio is located at at 622 N. Thornton Avenue, Suite
B, Orlando, FL, 32803.
It is right behind Dandelion Communitea
Cafe!
Please stop by and see their new space and meet Michael!
If you have any questions about acupuncture and its numerous benefits for your health and well-being, please give Michael a call at 407-574-2871.
Your Water Fillin' Station!
We are proud to be the first cafe in Florida to partner with TapIt to serve as a filling station for water bottlers on the go using our filtered water supply.
Thanks to alert customer Brian O'Hollaran for tapping us!
Available Exclusively At Dandelion Communitea Cafe (for the moment)!
Affiliations
Julie's Radio Show Airing on WPRK 91.5 FM ______ Think Local First! ______
Our Neighborhood
______
Our Approach to Food
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Our Seal of Approval
Greetings!
Our generous community has chipped in almost $5,000 (online & in cafe combined) to keep dandelion cooking!
Today marks the deadline folks can chip in, so if you've been meaning to, today is the day!
We continue to sit in gratitude to so many people who have offered assistance in so many forms - from advice, to loose change to just coming in and eating at the cafe & bringing some new friends. Every little bit counts & it has given us faith that we are going to make it with this communities backing!
Several of you have inquired about the Gift Card Investment Program, and I am so relieved that I didn't give birth before getting it up & running! (Updates on that major life event will be posted here.)
While we've made it 40% to our chip-in goal, we are still relying on the good people of our community to chip in.
We don't expect to be able to get the remaining 60% in just one day, but increased business since the launch has helped us close the gap, so with just a tad more chipper-inners, we will have secured the immediate cash crisis & can feel good about offering a true investment in our growth for sustained success.
Protecting What We Love, interview with local living economies advocate Judy Wicks
After I opened Dandelion, I quickly began to understand that one community-focused cafe wouldn't (and couldn't) make it all by itself. My role model, Judy Wicks, transformed her entire community through her own cafe in Philly & in this interview she explains my own observation about sustainable business so well:
"You cannot have one sustainable business. That's not what sustainablility is about, sustainability is being part of a whole sustainable system. I couldn't promote the family farms in my area by just my business, that if they are going to survive, you had to have a whole lot of restaurants buying from them. You had to have a whole local economy based on the same values....We need to work in collaborate & cooperation with each other, that's the only way. If we continue to compete, we are all going to be losers."
This insight is why I've worked so hard in the background on efforts to
rebuild our local food connection & synergize our independent
business community through the Ourlando, Think Local First movement and support groups like Slow Food Orlando & the Simple Living Institute. [Read More]
Get MORE $value than you paid for! (Earn up to $200)
We issue you a series of gift cards over time.
At your option, we will also feature you on our blog & in our Dandy Investors Directory, with a link to your business or blog, .
Did you chip in $25 or more? You can convert your chip
in to a gift card investment. Click here for details.
Already, we've had six smart investors take advantage of this opportunity to invest locally. Read about each of these patrons & why they believe this is a smart investment.
Prefer to get a cash return?Micro-lending is also an option.
The value of organic food
After the launch of our online Community Supported Enterprise (CSE) program, we've gotten some interesting advice. Here's a tip one of our customers sent us:
Suggestion: Simply make everything on the food menu $5.00. People will be lining up
down the street. People will return over and over again. Everybody
likes a bargain.
Shut Up & Write, Tuesday, August 11th, 4-7pm [More Info] Instead of gathering to talk about writing, why don't we just quietly write together? MAD about Words is hosting this gathering to give you time and space for your poems and stories to happen.
Green Drinks, Thursday, August 20 @ 7pm [More Info] Topics: Local Food Economy & Fall Gardening Green
Drinks is the only place in Orlando where you can eat, drink, enjoy
great music and talk and learn about the issues concerning OurLando's
community.
New Moon Circle, Thursday, August 20 @ 7pm [More Info] These rhythm circles are geared for musicians that play softer drums
like frame, tabla, jugs, bells or any other type of light percussion
instruments. Guitar, sitar, didgeridoo, signing bowls, flute,
harmonica, signing and laughter also have a home under the Bodhi Tree
each and every New and Full Moon.
Community Potlucks: All bellies agree - yummy & fun!
Our vegetarian potlucks are the newest bestest community gathering events in town!
Each evening is open to the public, and hosted by a local organization. There are different "themes" so please be sure to check the potluck page for details.
How to get a FREE MEAL at Dandelion... Come in to eat & at the bottom of every receipt is a coupon for a free meal when you introduce two new customers to Dandelion within the week.
Gratefully yours,
