Save Mantra Coffee
Donation protected
Mantra Needs Your Help!
Like so many small businesses, 10 months of pandemic later, Mantra is about to shut down and perhaps permanently.
Opening in 2015, Mantra was founded as a place for community gatherings - why couldn't Azusa have a sweet local coffeeshop?! We had a two fold mission: to first and foremost love and to happen to make damn good coffee. Since we opened, our faces have lit up witnessing the most beautiful relationships/connections happen. From Proposals/Engagements/Birthdays/Anniversaries to Artists/Musicians/Creative's first or 20th events, we've been there for all of it (and miss it/you so much)!
In March when the pandemic started, no one knew it would be 10 months later with little to no relief. Though Mantra did eventually receive funds from the government PPP loan (during the 2nd round of funding), those funds have long been depleted and were fully used for its intent of paying our staff and ensuring jobs through those months. Aside from that, Mantra also received a 10K grant, which you can imagine went fast. To date, we have applied for 8 loans and grants with only the 2 above siding in our favor. Needless to say, we don't know where else to turn besides to you.
What we have already done:
Reduced Our Operating Hours - Pre-pandemic we were open daily from 7am-Midnight, now we're open daily 8am-5pm.
Reduced Staffing - Pre-pandemic we would have 2-3 people at once, now only 1-2 people. We have gone from a staff of 23 to a staff of 7.
Adapted - Immediately offering an online platform for ordering and pick up, changing the flow of our shop to comply with social distancing and limiting person to person exposure, comply with ever changing covid compliance rules, consistent updates on online platforms such as google, yelp, or social media.
Promotions - BOGO's, percentage discounts, and lots of free coffee/pastries/food.
Reduced Prices - We've slashed prices across the board, which were already slim profit margins
What we have not done yet:
Further Reduce Our Operating Hours - Possibly close at 2pm instead of 5pm, though this means further reduced hours available for the staff.
Cut Orders From Our Partners - Since March, we have consistently continued ordering from our small Roasters, Bakers, Suppliers as our industry is all connected.
Decreased Quality of Our Ingredients - We just don't want our quality to be compromised
Close Permanently - Hoping it won't come to this. We have so much more to give, so much more vision for our community, and so many more lattes/smiles/hugs to serve!
Where will this money go:
To pay our staff, bills, loans, vendors, and outstanding balances occurred during this pandemic.
If you've read this far, thank you so much. It was with tears that we wrote this blurb for gofundme. We know that Mantra is only a physical manifestation of the love we all have for each other - we're just hoping we can manifest longer! As cliche as it is, ANY amount will be helpful but also generously sharing this with your friends/family and those you spent time with at Mantra would be an immense help!
If you'd like to reach out in any way, please feel free to contact us through here, DM us on Insta or FB, or simply stop by. Our deep wish is to continue to serve our community the best damn coffee we can but first and foremost to love. Know we're sending you all of our good vibes and love during this crazy time.
Love YOU so much,
Team Mantra
Like so many small businesses, 10 months of pandemic later, Mantra is about to shut down and perhaps permanently.
Opening in 2015, Mantra was founded as a place for community gatherings - why couldn't Azusa have a sweet local coffeeshop?! We had a two fold mission: to first and foremost love and to happen to make damn good coffee. Since we opened, our faces have lit up witnessing the most beautiful relationships/connections happen. From Proposals/Engagements/Birthdays/Anniversaries to Artists/Musicians/Creative's first or 20th events, we've been there for all of it (and miss it/you so much)!
In March when the pandemic started, no one knew it would be 10 months later with little to no relief. Though Mantra did eventually receive funds from the government PPP loan (during the 2nd round of funding), those funds have long been depleted and were fully used for its intent of paying our staff and ensuring jobs through those months. Aside from that, Mantra also received a 10K grant, which you can imagine went fast. To date, we have applied for 8 loans and grants with only the 2 above siding in our favor. Needless to say, we don't know where else to turn besides to you.
What we have already done:
Reduced Our Operating Hours - Pre-pandemic we were open daily from 7am-Midnight, now we're open daily 8am-5pm.
Reduced Staffing - Pre-pandemic we would have 2-3 people at once, now only 1-2 people. We have gone from a staff of 23 to a staff of 7.
Adapted - Immediately offering an online platform for ordering and pick up, changing the flow of our shop to comply with social distancing and limiting person to person exposure, comply with ever changing covid compliance rules, consistent updates on online platforms such as google, yelp, or social media.
Promotions - BOGO's, percentage discounts, and lots of free coffee/pastries/food.
Reduced Prices - We've slashed prices across the board, which were already slim profit margins
What we have not done yet:
Further Reduce Our Operating Hours - Possibly close at 2pm instead of 5pm, though this means further reduced hours available for the staff.
Cut Orders From Our Partners - Since March, we have consistently continued ordering from our small Roasters, Bakers, Suppliers as our industry is all connected.
Decreased Quality of Our Ingredients - We just don't want our quality to be compromised
Close Permanently - Hoping it won't come to this. We have so much more to give, so much more vision for our community, and so many more lattes/smiles/hugs to serve!
Where will this money go:
To pay our staff, bills, loans, vendors, and outstanding balances occurred during this pandemic.
If you've read this far, thank you so much. It was with tears that we wrote this blurb for gofundme. We know that Mantra is only a physical manifestation of the love we all have for each other - we're just hoping we can manifest longer! As cliche as it is, ANY amount will be helpful but also generously sharing this with your friends/family and those you spent time with at Mantra would be an immense help!
If you'd like to reach out in any way, please feel free to contact us through here, DM us on Insta or FB, or simply stop by. Our deep wish is to continue to serve our community the best damn coffee we can but first and foremost to love. Know we're sending you all of our good vibes and love during this crazy time.
Love YOU so much,
Team Mantra
Organizer
Mantra Coffee
Organizer
Azusa, CA
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