Little London crowd-funded pub campaign off to a slow start in Newcastle
THE entrepreneur behind what has been billed as the nation’s first crowd-funded pub venture says he won’t abandon his dream despite a lacklustre response from punters.
Early last month Mark Aberle set an Australia Day deadline to reach a target of $112,000 on kickstarter.com to fund Little London, a boutique bar that promises to bring a taste of the Old Dart to Newcastle.
The pub, similar to Australian-themed Walkabout pubs in the UK, will have British ales, rich cabinetry, darts and screen English and European football league games.
Mr Aberle said yesterday only about $850 had been pledged by punters, blaming the “slow start” on the fact potential investors had incorrectly assumed their bank accounts would be debited immediately.
“No-one gets charged unless we meet our target sum,” he said, adding the festive period may have contributed to the poor response.
Mr Aberle said there had been strong interest from individual investors in the project, which he hopes to roll out as a national franchise.
“One way or another we will open … we won’t quit, we’ll still chase the funds and if we don’t reach our first target we’ll treat it as an awareness campaign,” he said.
Mr Aberle’s business idea was nourished by his nostalgia for the pubs he poured beer in during a working holiday in London.
Source: Newcastle Herald, Penelope Green, 5th January 2016
