Help with a Save Anarres Bond Certificate

Price: $5.00

Please refer to the page below to see which amount goes with what you want. Please be sure you order what you need.

Help with a Save Anarres Bond Certificate

WHAT IS A "SAVE ANARRES BOND CERTIFICATE"?
It's half Savings Bond (get the pun?) and half Gift Certificate. You are helping us because we need the money presently during this lockdown period, but later when sales return to (new?) normal, you'll have that credit with us to spend as you wish. A Bond is a relationship between people or groups based on shared feelings, interests, or experiences. I like the term bond because it means that our relationship is not over when our first transaction is.

WHY WE NEED TO OFFER BOND CERTIFICATES
Since the pandemic began, Anarres has experienced a virtually complete loss of workshop, event and consultation fees. Since the winter holidays and the Grey Zone Lockdown, Anarres has experienced such a deep reduction in sales, that I have been forced to lay off three Anarres people, from full hours to less than half time work. Since the pandemic began, I have paid myself only an honorarium of $1000 a month in exchange for one student's room and board in my home, but my savings have dwindled and I feel that without a shift, Anarres will no longer be viable.

WHY OUR EXPENSES HAVE SKYROCKETED
We at Anarres Apothecary and Anarres Natural Health, as an essential business, have been open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and we've pivoted and shifted continuously throughout these challenging times.

In order to keep our storefront and operations safe, we've needed to:
* Put vulnerable Apprentices and Work Exchangers on Leaves of Absence
* Replace work exchanged labour with paid work (a great, but costly change)
* Increased our costs (hundreds of dollars a month in electricity to run our heated/cooled rooftop ventilation and air exchange, PPE & supplies for workers and shoppers, UVB and Level 13 HEPA air filtration & sanitation...

WHY WE CAN'T GET ENOUGH SUPPORT FROM GOVERNMENTS
We have not qualified for a government loan or for most government subsidies because businesses that remain open are often excluded, and because the method used to calculate does not account for increased expenses. We have also been denied assistance because Anarres remains a private practice of myself and I have not been able to provide business identity documents that some granters have required. If you are an expert grant writer and knowledgable about COVID funds for small businesses, and have some time on your hands, please email me if you feel you can help do some of the leg work.

WHY I AM NOT ASKING YOU FOR A LOAN OR DONATION
Many of our friends and customers have offered us loans, but I do not want to take monies that I cannot 100% guarantee to repay. I do not want to accept gifts of money when I can easily provide goods and services. So I am offering Saving Anarres Bond Certificates, that are redeemable and transferable to anyone, anytime. I know that regardless of what the future brings, I will be able to give you something you want or need, from a workshop, a private lesson, to water purification, natural contraception, incenses, perfumes or candles, zero waste housewares, or custom or off the shelf body care products!

When you send us money, of whatever amount, I'll send you a Saving Anarres Bond Certificate for the exact amount of your contribution. Consider it a prepayment for whatever you might need from us any time from now on.