Rofhiwa Support Fund

Grant Ruhlman is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Beverley Makhubele.

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Hello friends, my name is Grant Ruhlman, owner of Homebucha Kombucha and business neighbors with Rofhiwa Book Cafe.

The picture posted above is what the inside of Rofhiwa Book Cafe currently looks like. As you have likely heard by now, there was recently an unfortunate and scary incident in our corridor of Angier and Driver St. Around 8:45pm on Friday evening (7/21/23), a speeding car crashed through a fire hydrant and light pole before careening into, and through, the front of Rofhiwa Book Cafe. We are still gathering details on the nature of the incident, but as far as we know everyone involved survived. The damage to the shop is severe and puts a major strain on the staff of Rofhiwa. The shop is closed until further notice, as the entire front entry and much of the interior are wrecked and will require a major and lengthy upfit.

You likely know that the folks at Rofhiwa have been putting a great deal of love and effort into the launch of Congress, a soon-to-be-opened bar just down the street from Rofhiwa. That opening is right around the corner, and this terrible accident feels like a gut punch as they inch so close to that goal.

Rofhiwa is at the heart of East Durham, and the damage from this wreck will close its welcoming doors until a major rebuild can take place. In the meantime, the team is in urgent need of support to keep the ship afloat and continue moving forward.

If you’re on this page and you’ve read this far, we know you are here to help. There are many questions to be answered regarding insurance, landlord support, and the deeper causes of why incidents like this take place. In the meantime, we are asking for your financial help to cover these immediate and urgent needs:

Transition employees to a stable work-from-home environment. There is ample administrative and shipping work to be done on the bookstore side of the business, but financial support is needed to cover living wage payroll during this transition, as well as providing laptops, internet stipends, and software. 3 months staff support = $20,000.
Quick fix: Local fabricators Avant Fab jumped into action to board up the giant hole that's been left in the front of Rofhiwa, securing the building until the next phase of rebuilding can begin. Always the generous neighbor, they offered this service for free, but of course, we would like to reimburse them for their professional work. $500.
The rent: While the shop is closed for repairs, the rent will need to continue being paid. We are asking for $2000 / month for 3 months = $6000.

So how can you help? Your caring words and support are so appreciated, and positive thoughts toward a brighter day are always helpful. Beyond that, we gratefully ask for you to donate what you are able. Going further, please share this campaign of support with the kind folks in your network. It is amazing what we can do for one another when the need is urgent.

Our goal? $26,500. It is an investment in the people, place, and future of East Durham. Reaching 26.5k would be amazing, but if we can even reach 10kwe’ll be helping immensely. If we reach 20k we’ll be making a huge difference for the whole staff of Rofhiwa. Reaching the full goal is practically right around the corner from there.

We will continue to update this page as details emerge and the rebuild takes place. Our community is strong and it is through this support and encouragement that we continue to hold our heads high. Together, Rofhiwa will emerge from this more resilient than ever. With gratitude and looking forward,

The Rofhiwa Support Team

*Rofhiwa is a black-owned book cafe. To learn more, please visit https://rofhiwabooks.com/

*All donations will go directly to Rofhiwa's business bank account, to be responsibly dispersed at Bev's discretion. Donations are not tax deductible.