Help Wholesome Survive & Thrive
Wholesome is a creativity clubhouse in Chicago. We are a small team of passionate artists that have built a community for creatives who love music.
In January of 2020, we started construction to add 27 additional monthly studios in the same Hermosa building where we are already headquartered, Workshop 4200. The expansion includes a sound stage to allow members access to tools to create bigger and more polished projects. Our plan was to fundraise from former investors and bootstrap, like we’ve been doing since 2011.
Unfortunately, COVID-19 hit and two of our main investors had to back out, leaving us with more than 50% of the work done, but no money to finish. We need your help to bring our ten year long dream to completion!
The Long Story of Wholesome...
It all started in 2008 over a drink at Schubas. Dave Rucins and Zack Schneider were talking about the zine (Wholesome) that Dave ran in high school (1984) and all the successful people he interviewed before they made it big. Zack was dreaming and predicting how the iPhone would change the world for creatives and musicians - he saw a new version of Wholesome as an app. Zack was dating Stacy Sniegowski who was itching to build a community, start Djaying again, and wanted to start a business instead of pay to go to business school.
So, in 2009, we rallied our friends and started with an internet radio station in the bedroom of an Avondale coach house. 
Check out Tony Correale (an original Wholesome DJ) and Dave doing radio shows in the bedroom of the coach house.
We also began collaborating on more designs for Chicago themed t-shirts. Check out this old video of Dave and Zack printing Daley shirts in the kitchen . 
With over 7 DJs doing shows and t-shirts taking over the house, it was time to find our own space.
We took a giant leap in 2011, when we moved into the executive suite of the former Hammond Organ Factory building in the Hermosa neighborhood. At the time, the building was mostly vacant with a few industrial tenants. There was a lot of work to be done to build three rooms for our tiny team. Natasha Robinson helped us get organized and contributed to one our first podcasts, Faculty Lounge . 
Friend and fellow musician, Peter Pena helped us to install a sink big enough to clean the t-shirt screens.
After a year of being in the executive suite, we decided to take another leap. The building was giant and had a great feel to it. Zack and his longtime friend and Siderunners bandmate, Sappy Defily, realized that other musicians could benefit from the space. We expanded our business to provide rehearsal studios to bands by building 4 studios to be rented monthly and 1 to be rented hourly.
Sappy building out the first 4 rooms.
DJs Adam and Angel broadcasting live on air. 
DJ Pi, aka Paul Yamada, doing one of his hundreds of shows that have helped us to build our radio library. He lives in a house of vinyl. 
After creating a little community and hearing the need for more, we added 8 additional monthly studios in 2016. Since, we upgraded our radio station to allow for podcasting, and began doing live music events to promote our brand and spaces. Last year, we started a music video series , WholesomePresents, and have been doing more recording projects - both things that expand our digital assets. 
The podcast studio being used by Cassi Jerkins for her "Stories, But Shorter podcast" produced by Campfire Media .
Members of our community contribute to our internet radio station, recording studio, podcast studio, and screen printing t-shirt shop. We also provide private sound abated studios for professionals to rent monthly, weekly, daily, or hourly. Our waiting list for monthly studios for audio professionals, video editors, sound engineers, producers, and bands exceeds 75 people. We need additional funds to complete the project or we’ll have to walk away from what’s already been built and leave a bunch of committed creative professionals with no place to work. Please throw us some dough so we can continue to build an awesome environment for artists and musicians to create.
The halls of Wholesome during our 2014 Open House event.