fawn’tum leap
hi friends,
As many of you know, Fawn had an extremely challenging start. If you don’t know: our buildout cost twice what we were quoted and took a year longer than expected.
We could have thrown in the towel and bailed on the folks who invested money in the initial fundraising stage before even opening our doors, but we decided to forge ahead. We took on expensive debt and a small group of equity investors came on board. The trickledown effect of this approach meant opening with no working capital and a heavy debt load.
Over the past four years, two of which were operational, we’ve worked tirelessly to overcome those obstacles, but despite our best efforts, the weight of operational costs and our debt load has made every day feel uncertain (beyond what we know to be the reality for many hospitality businesses).
While our product, service, and team culture continue to thrive, and while your kind words and encouragement mean the world to us, we need an immediate, positive change to our financial situation.
We have explored myriad options behind the scenes and will continue to do so in the form of working with lenders and seeking additional equity investment, but we need the support of our community to make it through this winter so that we can continue to find long-term solutions and solidify a future for Fawn.
we’re calling this the fawn’tum leap
We know what we’re capable of and we’re willing to do anything to move forward. Fawn is more than just a business to us; it’s a labor of love, a dream we’ve worked so hard to bring to life, and everything we have. This is where you — our friends and community — come in. If you love Fawn or if you believe in us and what we’re building, we’re asking for your help.
We’re seeking contributions of $25–$2,500 to help stabilize our cash flow. To show our gratitude, we’re offering gift cards for the full value of your contribution, redeemable immediately. Any contribution between $250-$2500 will receive an additional Gift Card valued at 25% of your original contribution which will be provided to you on December 1, 2025 as an additional thank-you for helping us get there.
take the leap with us
additional ways to support fawn right now
Visit Us
Come by for a coffee, a meal, or just to say hi. Bring your friends, tell your neighbours—every visit counts and helps immensely — not to mention: we’d love to see you!
Spread the word
If you’ve contributed and want to encourage others or if a financial contribution isn’t in the cards for you, we’d love it if you shared our campaign with your network. Just copy and paste the link in your browser or head to our social posts to share there!
why support fawn?
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support a local (woman-owned!) business
Directly investing in Fawn will allow us to continue contributing to the fabric of the hospitality community, fostering job creation, and encouraging local innovation.
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be part of our story
We’ve poured our hearts and souls into building this business, facing countless challenges along the way. If you believe in our vision and empathize with our journey, your support can help ensure that this is not the end.
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enjoy a tangible incentive
We’re offering a true-value gift card for your contribution allowing you to enjoy Fawn’s offerings or share your love of Fawn with others. It’s the holiday season after all!
Q & A
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In the short term, the funds raised will be used to pay bills that are currently limiting our ability to operate, including amounts owed to suppliers and producers. Maintaining these relationships is essential to us, as it ensures other small businesses are paid on time. These suppliers are often the most vulnerable, as they lack the security protections that larger creditors have. As a result, we often need to use our funds to cover larger financial obligations, such as bank loans, equipment leasing, and essential operational costs like utilities, rent, and more putting us in a precarious situation with suppliers.
Depending on the amount we raise, the funds will also help us navigate the winter months, covering ongoing costs like payroll and rent. -
We’d love to raise 75k, however any amount will help us to keep the dream alive.
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There is no maximum amount—you can purchase a gift card for any amount over $25. You can also use your gift card for partial payments or for the full amount. However, gift cards cannot be used for tips, and we ask that tips be given based on the full bill amount.
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You can start using your gift card(s) as soon as you receive it/them! We are also happy to make multiple gift cards to cover your total contribution.
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Yes, they are physical cards.
You will receive a confirmation of your purchase and you will be able to select a pick-up option (at Fawn located at 1589 South Park St in Halifax) or they can be mailed to you! -
No, the gift cards never expire.
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Yes! Any contribution between $250 and $2,500 will receive an additional gift card worth 25% of your original contribution. This bonus gift card will be issued on December 1st, 2025.
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Gift cards are non-refundable, but you are welcome to transfer them as gifts to others!
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Our campaign will run until December 31, 2024 or until we raise $75,000.
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To be honest, failure is not an option! While we are exploring several other ways to move forward with Fawn; including working with lenders and seeking additional investment, we still need the support of our community to make it through the winter. Your support will help us continue to find long-term solutions and secure a future for Fawn. We’re intentionally running this campaign independently of traditional crowdfunding, therefore any contributions we make will be put toward the financial challenges we face.
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You can purchase gift cards online using a credit card, or you can visit us in person and pay using any available payment method including cash.
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Gift cards are only redeemable in-store.
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If you have any additional questions, please feel free to reach out to Ceilidh at ceilidh@fawnresto.com