Following a few uncertain months, we can now let everyone know that our social enterprise, Edinburgh Furniture Initiative (EFI), is staying put!
EFI is Four Square’s re-use furniture shop where all proceeds support people facing homelessness in Edinburgh.
With the help of the excellent people at Graham + Sibbald and Thorntons Law LLP we have agreed a long lease with new building owners Thistle Property Group and will be here for many years to come.
We are delighted and very relieved.
EFI is the lifeblood of Four Square, proving a significant income stream to help us run our charity.
This lease gives us certainty and means we don’t have to move our business. We can avoid disrupting our operations, our customer base and our staff team. It means we don’t have the costs of a move or the dip in income that comes when moving to a new location.
Four years ago, moving to these premises from our old shop on Logie Green Road was both a gamble and a game changer. We sold our old shop and used the proceeds to invest in accommodation for people who are homeless, choosing a lease option for the new shop on Gorgie Road.
It was a gamble, because the rent was much higher than our previous mortgage, we also left behind our loyal customers on the other side of the city, we had to close for 6 weeks and we only had the lease for 4 years.
But, it was also a game changer. Firstly, because with the proceeds of the sale of our old shop we were able to buy a new building and refurbish another to provide 30 spaces in beautiful homes for people who are homeless.
And, secondly, because of the location of the new shop, the benefits of a customer car park and big display windows on a busy road saw our turnover double in year one and our surplus increase by a factor of 8. We also found lots of new customers and many of our old customers followed us.
The availability of suitable buildings and affordable leases are a constant battle for social enterprises in Edinburgh. But we are lucky! And we look forward to many years ahead selling re-use furniture and supporting people out of homelessness in Edinburgh.
We’d like to thank our customers, furniture donors and the local community.
You help us continue our vital work supporting homeless services.
We depend on the generosity of our community for donations. Book a free furniture uplift here.
