Help Sage Against the Machine open V GO'S
Donation protected
Sage Against the Machine needs a home! We have outgrown our commissary kitchen, and we need our own space to continue to serve our amazing community.
Sage Against the Machine: Our Journey
In 2017 Tara relocated to Bellingham, Wa from Wichita, Ks, to be near her newly widowed father and met Nate on an online dating platform. They were both servers, Tara was here in Bellingham, and Nate resided down in Everett, Wa, working in Lynnwood. They became inseparable by the second date and continued to hang out camping, hiking, and sharing their dreams and passions. After six months of dating, they agreed to open an all plant-based food truck and call it Sage Against the Machine. So the journey began; with not a lot of money, they worked hard and saved to get all the proper business permits filed while searching for the future food truck. They came upon this cute little green food trailer on used vending and inquired for more information on it. They found out it was in Billings, Mt, and sought it out on Craigslist to contact the owner directly for more details. Not knowing how exactly they would get all the money together, they continued to work hard and believe in each other.
One day, Tara's dad came over for dinner, looked at the trailer's videos and pictures, and offered them help to reach their dream. They couldn't believe it was happening, and they are truly grateful for him believing in them as well. In April of 2018, they set out to Billings to purchase and bring home their future business, as we all know now as Sage Against the Machine! In June of 2018, Nate and Tara quit their jobs, got married, and opened the food truck.
Nate and Tara have worked so hard building their business, working 14 to 16 hour days, and have enjoyed every moment of it. Some of you may know that food trucks are required to have a commissary kitchen where all the food prep and storage is kept and done in the State of Washington. Sage Against the Machine has enjoyed working in some fantastic locally owned establishments here in Bellingham, bringing friendships and fun. The first restaurant where they prepped at they were there for more than two years and quite settled but knew they were already outgrowing the space. Due to Covid, the owner decided to close his doors and start a new venture for himself, which lead them to start thinking more about their future. The only way they knew they would never have this problem again was to find their kitchen. Since Nate and Tara have made good friendships in the community, another local establishment was willing to share their kitchen with them temporarily while it was not open full time due to covid. So they agreed to move in over there to keep their window open, serving their community healthy, fun plant-based food. In their off time, they started to look for a future home for their food truck to serve the community out of that establishment as well.
V GO'S (Vegans On The Go): The Future
In September of 2020, Nate and Tara ran crossed this fantastic building in the heart of downtown Bellingham where they believe is the next upcoming block off Holly St on Cornwall Ave. It is close to the new development of the Port, across from a historic hotel called the Hotel Leo, and near some excellent staple eating establishments. They knew that was the place they would call home and open the next venture they dreamed of. Nate had been playing with the idea of opening an all plant-based grocery store here in Bellingham and calling it V GO'S short for Vegans On The Go. This building would be perfect not only for putting in their commisarry kitchen for their food truck but having the front open as an all-vegan product grocery store. With the size of this building, it will open doors for other local vegan entrepreneurs as well. They will showcase and give a proper place for locals to sell their products on consignment. Also, allowing local animal sanctuaries to have a place to let the public learn about them and purchase merchandise to help support these nonprofits. Nate and Tara signed a lease to have this place opened at least the commissary by January 2021. They knew it was going to cost a lot, and they were prepared to do all the work they possibly could themselves. Luckily a good friend and fellow food vendor stepped up and offered all his help and hard work free of charge; they are forever grateful for all he has done for them. With the help of two amazing investors that have loaned them $60,000 and believing in their dream, the hard work of our friend, they knew their dream was coming true. So the work began; Nate and Tara tirelessly worked every day off on the building, and volunteers coming in to help them pull carpet, move walls, take down walls, and paint. They started searching for the equipment they needed for the commissary kitchen and purchasing everything they could. They had to hire an architect to draw the plans for the cities building permit, get plumbers in to get estimates and hire an electrician to place all the electrical outlets where needed.
THE PRESENT: May 2021
The last week of January 2021, the blueprints and floor plan were finally ready to submit to the city. It took them almost seven weeks to get their first response from the city, which called for some changes that needed to be done before approving the permit. So once again, they resubmitted the permit application along with more filling fees. They finally got the approved permit to move forward in April 2021. Over the months, the rent and utilities were still being paid every month since September 2020 and continuing to pour their heart and souls into getting this building open for business. They have hired help on the food truck to allow more energy from them to go into getting V GO'S open, knowing their time is going to be needed there more. This is where Nate and Tara need their outstanding community support; their finances are exhausted, and there is still a lot to be done, purchased and the monthly expenses of wages of employees and the building costs. They are genuinely grateful for all the support and love their community gives them, and they would not be reaching out if they didn't need a little helping hand. Attached is the list of things that still need to be done and purchased.
- painting
- floors
- concrete work
- sheetrock
- wall framing
- counter/bar
- hood vent inspection/install
- plumbing
- kitchen shelving
- gas stove/oven
- reach-in freezer
- storefront shelving
- inventory
- prep table
Sage Against the Machine: Our Journey
In 2017 Tara relocated to Bellingham, Wa from Wichita, Ks, to be near her newly widowed father and met Nate on an online dating platform. They were both servers, Tara was here in Bellingham, and Nate resided down in Everett, Wa, working in Lynnwood. They became inseparable by the second date and continued to hang out camping, hiking, and sharing their dreams and passions. After six months of dating, they agreed to open an all plant-based food truck and call it Sage Against the Machine. So the journey began; with not a lot of money, they worked hard and saved to get all the proper business permits filed while searching for the future food truck. They came upon this cute little green food trailer on used vending and inquired for more information on it. They found out it was in Billings, Mt, and sought it out on Craigslist to contact the owner directly for more details. Not knowing how exactly they would get all the money together, they continued to work hard and believe in each other.
One day, Tara's dad came over for dinner, looked at the trailer's videos and pictures, and offered them help to reach their dream. They couldn't believe it was happening, and they are truly grateful for him believing in them as well. In April of 2018, they set out to Billings to purchase and bring home their future business, as we all know now as Sage Against the Machine! In June of 2018, Nate and Tara quit their jobs, got married, and opened the food truck.
Nate and Tara have worked so hard building their business, working 14 to 16 hour days, and have enjoyed every moment of it. Some of you may know that food trucks are required to have a commissary kitchen where all the food prep and storage is kept and done in the State of Washington. Sage Against the Machine has enjoyed working in some fantastic locally owned establishments here in Bellingham, bringing friendships and fun. The first restaurant where they prepped at they were there for more than two years and quite settled but knew they were already outgrowing the space. Due to Covid, the owner decided to close his doors and start a new venture for himself, which lead them to start thinking more about their future. The only way they knew they would never have this problem again was to find their kitchen. Since Nate and Tara have made good friendships in the community, another local establishment was willing to share their kitchen with them temporarily while it was not open full time due to covid. So they agreed to move in over there to keep their window open, serving their community healthy, fun plant-based food. In their off time, they started to look for a future home for their food truck to serve the community out of that establishment as well.
V GO'S (Vegans On The Go): The Future
In September of 2020, Nate and Tara ran crossed this fantastic building in the heart of downtown Bellingham where they believe is the next upcoming block off Holly St on Cornwall Ave. It is close to the new development of the Port, across from a historic hotel called the Hotel Leo, and near some excellent staple eating establishments. They knew that was the place they would call home and open the next venture they dreamed of. Nate had been playing with the idea of opening an all plant-based grocery store here in Bellingham and calling it V GO'S short for Vegans On The Go. This building would be perfect not only for putting in their commisarry kitchen for their food truck but having the front open as an all-vegan product grocery store. With the size of this building, it will open doors for other local vegan entrepreneurs as well. They will showcase and give a proper place for locals to sell their products on consignment. Also, allowing local animal sanctuaries to have a place to let the public learn about them and purchase merchandise to help support these nonprofits. Nate and Tara signed a lease to have this place opened at least the commissary by January 2021. They knew it was going to cost a lot, and they were prepared to do all the work they possibly could themselves. Luckily a good friend and fellow food vendor stepped up and offered all his help and hard work free of charge; they are forever grateful for all he has done for them. With the help of two amazing investors that have loaned them $60,000 and believing in their dream, the hard work of our friend, they knew their dream was coming true. So the work began; Nate and Tara tirelessly worked every day off on the building, and volunteers coming in to help them pull carpet, move walls, take down walls, and paint. They started searching for the equipment they needed for the commissary kitchen and purchasing everything they could. They had to hire an architect to draw the plans for the cities building permit, get plumbers in to get estimates and hire an electrician to place all the electrical outlets where needed.
THE PRESENT: May 2021
The last week of January 2021, the blueprints and floor plan were finally ready to submit to the city. It took them almost seven weeks to get their first response from the city, which called for some changes that needed to be done before approving the permit. So once again, they resubmitted the permit application along with more filling fees. They finally got the approved permit to move forward in April 2021. Over the months, the rent and utilities were still being paid every month since September 2020 and continuing to pour their heart and souls into getting this building open for business. They have hired help on the food truck to allow more energy from them to go into getting V GO'S open, knowing their time is going to be needed there more. This is where Nate and Tara need their outstanding community support; their finances are exhausted, and there is still a lot to be done, purchased and the monthly expenses of wages of employees and the building costs. They are genuinely grateful for all the support and love their community gives them, and they would not be reaching out if they didn't need a little helping hand. Attached is the list of things that still need to be done and purchased.
- painting
- floors
- concrete work
- sheetrock
- wall framing
- counter/bar
- hood vent inspection/install
- plumbing
- kitchen shelving
- gas stove/oven
- reach-in freezer
- storefront shelving
- inventory
- prep table
Fundraising team (2)
Tara Folenius
Organizer
Bellingham, WA
Nathaniel Johnson
Team member