Bookstore Dream Realized Through Innovative Funding

The Community Foundation has partnered with Honeycomb Credit, a peer-funded loan platform, to invest in BIPOC-owned small businesses in low-to middle-income neighborhoods. Nikkya Hargrove, a local author and advocate, ran a successful Honeycomb campaign – partially funded by a $10,000 loan from the Community Foundation – to turn her pop-up Obodo Serendipity bookstore into a brick-and-mortar community hub in Stratford.

“My family did not pass down any kind of generational wealth to me or teach me how to do that for my kids,” says Hargrove. “When the idea to open a bookstore morphed into a dream, Honeycomb Credit provided me with the tools and emotional support to raise $32,000. They helped me with social media outreach, introduced me to their network of investors, and held my hand for the entire 30-day crowdfunding campaign.”

By achieving her funding goal, Hargrove was able to sign a lease for retail space. Obodo Serendipity Books opened on Main Street in Stratford in early September.

Learn more: FCCFoundation.org/Honeycomb