RIVER FALLS, Wis. – Finding the right investors to help launch a specialty retail shop and cafe in downtown River Falls is proving trickier than owner Sarah Kowal imagined, but she’s not giving up. In fact, some might argue she’s just getting started.
After raising $6,000 in an online fundraising campaign to help launch WeatherVane Creamery, Kowal has been busy meeting with potential investors, participating in the Wisconsin Grilled Cheese Championship, and winning a scholarship to attend this year’s American Cheese Society annual conference in Raleigh, North Carolina. She’s also following up on leads after flying to the Starbucks Annual Shareholder Meeting in Seattle in March and approaching Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz with her business plan. (For the scoop on that adventure, read her blog at www.wvcreamery.com/blog.)
Facing the hurdles of low capital and low collateral has never discouraged Kowal. Want to own 5 percent of her company and get a free cup of coffee every day? Then, you might consider signing on as one of six, $10,000 private investors she’s seeking to take WeatherVane Creamery from concept to reality.
“I’ve gone from having nothing in my pocket and just wanting to start a business, to having a significant personal investment in myself and my community,” Kowal said. “Suddenly, my dream is a real and measurable entity, and I’m searching for the right people who want to be part of a successful venture.”
Kowal envisions WeatherVane Creamery as a Wisconsin-only specialty shop and café featuring farmstead, artisan and specialty cheeses, as well as organic, small batch churned scooped ice cream, gourmet sandwiches, and other unique items.
You can catch Kowal next at River Falls’ Town N’ Country Day on Sunday, June 10, where she’ll have a stand at the future home of her shop at 120 S. Main Street. Enjoy tomato soup tasting, a sneak peak at the future shop’s exclusive Nicaraguan coffee, and bid on silent auction items, including a signed copy of “Creating Dairyland” by author Ed Janus and a cheese gift box from Burnett Dairy Cooperative.
For more information, contact Kowal at 715-256-7050 or email sarah@wvcreamery.com.
WeatherVane Creamery in downtown River Falls will be a Wisconsin-only specialty shop and café featuring farmstead, artisan and specialty cheeses, organic, small batch churned scooped ice cream, gourmet sandwiches, and other unique items. It will celebrate all things Wisconsin. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WVCreamery
Source: WeatherVerVane Creamery
