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Business & Tech

Local 20-Somethings Aim to Open Charitable Wine Bar

Jack Owens, 23, and Julian Kaelon, 28, want to create a benefit corporation called the Mill Valley Hub, a place where locals can go to support small 94941-based charities by consuming locally sourced food and beverage.

Jack Owens and Julian Kaelon want to re-define the way people think about charity, especially their fellow 20-somethings.

"Twenty-somethings and even people in their thirties might not feel comfortable giving or might feel like they don't have enough funds to make a difference," said Owens, a native of Mill Valley. "Our idea for a charitable wine bar (at 144 Throckmorton Ave. adjacent to the ) takes the stress out of philanthropy and creates a fun, social environment. You're going to go out and get a drink anyway, now you will be able to choose where your money is headed."

The idea was born when Kaelon, who has been working as the concessions manager at 142 Throckmorton for more than a year, thought that it would be nice to have a place to sit, relax and have a drink before and after a show. Owens returned to UC Berkeley from a study abroad program in Germany and Kaelon, a fellow student at Berkeley student who grew up in the Los Angeles area, shared the idea. By the time they each graduated in 2011, they had been thinking about the concept for a while, and decided to go beyond a normal bar and integrate the charity aspect.

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"We thought that a bar was a cool idea, but anyone can do a bar, let's do a charity bar," said Kaelon.

Eveything about the Mill Valley Hub Wine Bar will be local, said Owens. Patrons select where their money goes from three different small charities that rotate each quarter. People can support local food, beer and wine while making a direct impact on their community at the same time.

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"We're not into charities that can fund their own marketing campaigns, anything that has a marketing wing is self-sustaining," said Owens, "We want to give local charities that are struggling and hardly noticed some exposure."

The Hub will be a benefit corporation, a new breed of business that lies in the gray area between the non-profit and for-profit worlds. The designation was created by , which was authored by Marin state Assembly Jared Huffman and signed into law in 2011.

Just like a non-profit, the Hub will make its financial reports available to the public. The business will donate 100 percent of its net profits to charities, and the remaining income will go toward paying utilities, employees and other expenses, according to Owens.

Owens and Kaelon have a lot lined up. They have a meeting in front of the city planning commision scheduled for Sept. 10, quotes from contractors to consider, distribution in the works and even a talented local chef interested in providing baked goods for the Hub from her home kitchen. Owens insisted on waiting to reveal the talented mystery baker's name as the arrangements are still in the works.

Mill Valley city planner Tom Zanarini confirmed the Sept. 10 meeting.

Despite the number of gears turning, money remains to be the biggest factor that remains before the progress starts. Owens and Kaelon have started a campaign on the online fundraising platform, IndieGogo, with a goal of raising $80,000. So far, they've raised about $10,000 in about 10 days.

"The more money we can raise on the campaign, the less we'll have to take out on loans," said Kaelon, "if we start out with massibe debt, we'll be contributing less to charities from the start, which is not what we want."

The name "Mill Valley Hub" was inspired by the , which served as the epicenter of arts and entertainment in Mill Valley starting in 1915 in the current location of the .

Owens and Kaelon want to revive the socialble small-town feel of Mill Valley, something they feel is becoming more uncommon in the often hectic world we live in today. The Hub will give a people a chance to gossip in a "healthy" way, and make giving something that feels natural, rather than an interuption of everyday life.

"We live in a very decentralized world," said Owens. "Hopefully The Hub is going to be a place you go with friends and family after dinner to be part of community."

The Hub Wine Bar will be adjacent to the 142 Throckmorton Theater, but will be a completely seperate business. Lucy Mercer, founder of the 142 Throckmorton Theater, is on-board with the idea. "I think they are terrific fellows, and if it can work out, I think it coud be great thing for the community," she said.

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