Crowdfunder raises £6,000 for queer, sober cafe in Bruntsfield

The pair will take over the Greenwood cafe on Gilmore place.

An online crowdfunding campaign has raised more than £6,000 for a new queer cafe in Bruntsfield.

The GoFundMe campaign was set up by friends Oskar Hansen, 25, and Zak Riding, 24, earlier this month, after the pair saw The Greenwood cafe on Gilmore Place available for new management.

They plan to take over the cafe in September, and have launched the crowdfunder to help pay for new licenses, cooking appliances, insurance, stock, furniture and security systems.

When open, the cafe will be a ‘sober, queer’ space, where LGBT+ people can feel welcome without being in an alcohol-related environment.

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The idea stemmed from Oskar and Zak’s observation that many of the LGBT+ friendly venues in the city are nightclubs or bars, and that there is a limited number of such spaces which are not based around alcohol.

Oskar, who works as drag queen Mystika Glamoor, said that while these spaces are very welcome, he would like to see more options available.

"A lot of the specifically LGBT+ spaces we have here are nightclubs, and I work as a drag queen and I’m always in those nightclubs and I love them to bits,” he said.

“But it’s always in that space of alcohol, loud music and a drag show or a club night, and there’s space for that of course, but for a lot of people that can be overwhelming, or dangerous.”

The cafe, whose name will be amended from ‘The Greenwood’ to just ‘Greenwood’, will serve the same kind of fare as its predecessor, including tea, coffee, hot chocolate, pastries and bread.

The pair will add smoothies and soup, as well as possibly sandwiches in future.

The food and drink on offer will be predominantly vegan, to make the cafe ‘as inclusive as possible’.

Oskar stressed that the cafe will be open to everyone, regardless of whether they identify as LGBT+ or not.

"All we’re saying is that this is a space where we prioritise queer artists and queer makers, and it’s a safe space for queer people of all ages to just come in and have a coffee,” he said.

“It’s a creative space for people who identify as queer, but it will include everyone. So long as you don’t come in with prejudices against anyone’s right to exist, you’re welcome there.

"If you want to learn, if you want to build bridges with us, you’re welcome.”

The pair initially launched a fundraiser with a target of £1,500, but they reached £2,000 after just three hours.

They increased their target to £2,500, and then when this was reached they raised it to £10,000, which they hope will give them more long-term financial support.

The pair have been ‘overwhelmed’ by the donations and support which the project has received, said Oskar.

“More than the money, what’s really been amazing is the emotional support, and all the messages we got from people saying how happy they are that something like this is starting up,” he said.

He added: "From the response we’ve been getting on social media, I think one of the reasons people have been coming out in support of this is that they might be sober, or not want to be in a loud space, or whatever, it just gives them options.”

You can donate to the fundraising campaign here.

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