il-lokal: a new creative hub in Valletta

Description
Backers

Project Description

What is it all about?

Hi friends!

I’m Karolina and together with over 70 Maltese and Malta-based makers, artists, designers, and small independent brands, we’re creating il-lokal.

We started as an online shop in 2020 and quickly realised that Malta’s creative talent deserved more than just an online platform. So last year, with a shoestring budget and stars in our eyes, we decided to open our current shop on one of Valletta’s charming back streets.

If you have made your way up and visited our shop (we really hope you have!) you know that although the space is lovely, it’s just not enough.

And that is why we need your help!

We found a new fantastic, large and bright space with a manageable rent!
In Valletta. On the Old Bakery Street. Wow wow wow.

For us, it seems like a dream but here we go with the reality check…

We cannot open a new creative hub in the heart of Valletta without your help. Our mission is to elevate and promote the work of individuals whose talent and passion are making Malta a happier and more colourful place. With your help, we can support the local creative community and provide a comfortable space to meet, exchange ideas, and share skills with others. It will not be just a gift shop anymore! Yes, that’s right! We will finally have the space to host creative workshops, book launches, talks, and many other exciting activities!

That’s cool, but tell us about the rewards!

Now, we don’t want to leave you empty-handed so in return for your help, we have some seriously exciting rewards planned, including store vouchers for any products available at our new shop!

Supporting with EUR 5.00

We will thank you with a set of 3 Polaroid-style postcards by Cardsy.

Supporting with EUR 15.00

Gives you a super handy zipper pouch by Nice Things.
These 14 x 21 cm pouches are handmade using upcycled PVC banners (to keep you organised and the planet a little bit happier).

Supporting with EUR 35.00

Awards you with “Strait Street – Resting”, an A4 size photography print by Semih Okmen
Printed on high-quality 300gsm uncoated art paper.

Supporting with EUR 50.00

Will give you “Valletta Rooftops”, an A3 print by Ed Dingli
Printed on high-quality 300gsm uncoated art paper.

Supporting with EUR 100.00

Grants you a bundle of the rewards above (worth EUR 105.00).

Supporting with EUR 140.00

It’s a bundle of all the rewards PLUS a shop voucher for EUR 50.00 (a reward worth EUR 155.00!).

Supporting with EUR 200.00

That’s a bundle of all the rewards too, but the shop voucher increases to EUR 120.00 (reward worth EUR 225.00!).

Every contribution includes a personal hand-written note saying huuuuge thank you and an invitation to the opening party.

And that’s not all! The rewards are guaranteed no matter what amount we’ll manage to crowdfund!
We’ll contact every contributor once the campaign ends to arrange for the collection or shipping of the awards.

A few more details… Why do we need to change the space?

You may think that we are upgrading our space on a whim but to be honest it is more of a necessity than a choice. We mentioned before that our current shop is too small, but that is just the tip of the iceberg…

We did everything we could to make it unique but, we encountered too many obstacles which broke our hearts. We have been struggling with the lack of display space which makes us say “no” to new products and collaborators more often than we would like these days. Il-lokal’s mission has always been to get people together, to inspire creativity by providing a supportive outlet, not to restrict and limit that very spirit.

On top of that, we have discovered that our shop is located near an old well, which really explains the raging humidity.

It’s become a running joke that our customers always leave il-lokal with something, even if it’s just bits of our limestone ceiling on their shoulders. But in reality, the intense flaky stone, accelerated by high humidity, is not a safe environment for most of the products on our shelves. The damages caused to artworks could shut us down entirely.

It quickly became obvious that our current space is a challenge that we needed to address sooner than later. Changing our space will provide a more sustainable and fair platform for creatives of all disciplines to flourish under il-lokal’s roof.

OK, enough grumbling. Let’s talk about what’s coming!

To make the new space happen we’re going to do what we do best – collaborate!

We’re joining forces with a local graphic design studio 2point3. Together we will share 120 square metres over two levels, il-lokal space at the ground floor, and their design studio above us.

How’s that for a new creative hub in the heart of Malta’s capital city!?

For il-lokal this means almost triple the space exclusively dedicated to all sorts of locally made and designed products. It means that we can introduce new sections to the shop with products that are currently still under the radar. It means a reading corner with a comfortable resting area and above all – it means a comfortable environment for the creative community to meet, exchange ideas and share skills with others!

This is what we feel the creative community in Malta deserves.
But we can’t do it without your help.

Even though the space is in a good condition it needs a lot of work and capital to become what it can be. For the starters, currently it doesn’t have an entrance from the street…

What will the funding be used for exactly?

We have our goal set at €5,500.00 which seems TERRIFYING but there is a lot of work to be done and we believe that with your help it is possible.

Our required budget to make the new space top-notch is EUR 10,000.00.
We’re asking you to help us with slightly over half.

We want to create a friendly, comfortable, and accessible environment for everyone to feel welcomed.

This is why our first goal is to reach EUR 2,500.00. This amount will allow us to install a wheelchair and a pram-friendly entrance at street level. That is a top priority item on our to-do list, as we want to make sure everyone has easy access to the space.

If we reach EUR 3,700.00, our second objective, we’ll be able to equip the space with two ACs, so no matter which corner you’re exploring you always feel just perfect, despite the heat or wind outside.

Our final goal, EUR 5,500.00, will allow us to get our dream furniture (all locally manufactured of course!) so that we can take our display space to that WOW level!

Of course, we’re buzzing with ideas on how to improve your experience at il-lokal!
Any exceeding amount will be invested to make them reality, from buying a projector and screen open to community use, investing in the system which integrates our online shop with our retail outlet, to packaging and storage equipment.

Thank you!
Kar & il-lokal family

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Curious to hear the whole story behind il-lokal?
Recently, Karolina sat down with Sasha Vella from Lovin Malta and shared it all.
Read the full interview here.

To learn more about us you can also visit our online shop at il-lokal.com or Instagram @il_lokal.

il-lokal wouldn’t exist without this bunch of amazing designers, artists and makers.
By supporting this campaign you’re positively impacting us all!

Badly Stuffed Animal