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Crepe lovers rejoice: Melange Creperie is coming to a building near you. Where that may be is still undetermined, but owner Sean Carroll has made it over the first of many hurdles to come.
The crêpier was successfully funded earlier today on crowd-sourcing website Kickstarter, surpassing his $50,000 goal by $984. Launched February 4, Carroll set out to raise funds for a brick-and-mortar location for 5-year-old food cart Melange Creperie. Throughout the fundraising campaign, he partnered with area businesses to provide discounted services and goods to donors. As time went on, the rewards changed with incentives like a banana nutella crepe with a $9 or more donation.
More help came through well-known local chefs, bartenders and other industry friends who made concerted efforts to get the word out through social media. Additionally, Pax Americana chef Adam Dorris provided his support earlier this week, hosting a fundraising pop-up dinner benefitting Carroll.
There was a point when it didn't seem as if the beloved food cart would reach its goal. With a day to go, the campaign needed at least $20,000 to become fully funded. Within a matter of hours the gap grew smaller. Restaurateur Ricky Craig pledged to pay the difference, ensuring Carroll would reach his goal:
@MelangeCreperie The last hour of kickstarter if you don't meet the $50k I'll pay the balance to meet the goal.
— Ricky Craig (@Hubcap_Grill) March 5, 2015
With a fully-funded campaign in the bag, the next step for Carroll is to celebrate his good fortune, friends and faithful customers. Or maybe he can provide a few Kickstarter pointers to Maine-ly Sandwiches.
