When takeout business wasn’t enough to keep her business alive, Krystal Gast, owner and manager of Fido Motors Café, was inspired to act after hearing from other small business owners who had their own concerns about not being able to sell their products. “I just kept thinking about how I know so many people that would still want to buy all of these things,” Gast stated. “I was also thinking about the access that I had as a business to resources such as food distributors and how I could leverage that to be ordering larger quantities of those things and offering them as a grocery service.”

That’s when Gast decided to start the initiative called Get the Goods. “The more I thought about it, the more I was like ‘If I have this idea, I can’t not do it,’” said Gast.

Get the Goods is a curated online marketplace of local goods including pantry staples like flour and rice, café drinks, baked goods, fresh produce, household goods, fresh cut flowers, and even fabric face masks and hand sanitizer. This service not only helps Fido Motors Café keep its business going for the time being, but also helps support numerous other small businesses and families during a time where the support of community is needed more than ever. “We’ve always wanted to do things that support the community and our neighbors,” Gast explained. “It feels like a strong sense of community and coming together and working together to figure things out.”

With more than 17 local vendors selling goods, the collaboration has already been quite a success. “Most people have just been very happy,” added Gast, sharing that all of the customers have been appreciative of the service and excited to support the community in this way.

So, are you interested in getting some of these locally sourced goods? Locally made and procured items are sold online during the week and packaged for contactless pick-up at the café or delivery to your house on Wednesdays. To get the goods this week, place your order by 10:00 a.m. tomorrow to be picked up or delivered to your house on Wednesday, May 13 between 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. It’s as easy as 1-2-3! If you’ve already stocked up on goods for the week and need to wait for the next round, you may place an order for next week, after this Wednesday but before next Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. (We think you’re catching on to the order schedule now.)

The good news doesn’t stop there—Get the Goods has also created an opportunity for customers to Gift the Goods, by donating any amount of money with your order that will be donated to local community organizations that are caring for our Kalamazoo neighbors. We know there’s no shortage of love for Kalamazoo and our local small businesses right now, and Get the Goods is another great way to show some love and support our community.