A Truro gift shop has launched a crowdfunding campaign as part of its efforts to keep going in these difficult times.
The retail trade was already a tough environment when family-run Happy Piranha opened its doors on Pydar Street, offering a range of sci-fi and fantasy inspired gifts and homeware. And when the coronavirus pandemic hit, as a non-essential shop it had to close.
Twins Josh and Sam Gaunt are making positive use of the downtime, however, concentrating on product development, with a new range of candles, which they are looking to crowdfund on the Kickstarter platform.
The campaign is to produce candles inspired by role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons with original hand drawn designs and scent combinations. The idea being that the scents will stimulate the imagination and add another level of experience to the game.
Josh Gaunt explained: “Launching a new range for us requires time and commitment: time to mix and test the scents, draw the designs, digitally colour them and then apply these to the candles we pour by hand.
“The money will allow us to bulk purchase the materials and scents to make the candles. Crucially, it will also help enable us to spend the time crafting and creating these products with the attention to detail they deserve, time which we’d usually be spending manning the brick and mortar store.”
Supporters can pledge as little as £1 or as much as £125 – and in exchange can receive rewards such as the candles themselves to signed prints of the artwork and even a year-long discount voucher for the online shop.