Clementine café opens in Islington: despite not meeting its crowdfunding target
On Saturday 10th October Pastry Chef Anna Higham opened Clementine Café in Islington, just across the road from its sister bakery Quince, through a crowdfunding project.
Mrs Higham set out to raise £50,000 in an ‘All or Nothing’ crowdfunding campaign for Clementine. But in July 2026 having only met half of her target, she changed her approach to combine the money raised through crowdfunding with funds from alternative sources, reaching a total of £30,345.
David, 59, a consultant who lives across the road from Clementine said he chose not to contribute to the crowdfund, “this is a commercial business not a charity”. He also said: “I’ll be candid with you, there needs to be something in it for me, even if that’s just 5% discount”.
While Mrs Higham did set up a rewards-based crowdfund, offering contributors rewards such as a tote bag or a breakfast bundle, due to issues with cashflow the rewards are yet to materialise.
For Mrs Higham, the aim behind opening Clementine was to extend the sense of community created at Quince where 60-70% of customers are repeat visitors each day.
Despite falling short of its crowdfunding target, Clementine is not lacking in community support.
Nicole Sims, 34, who lives in Islington, said: “Quince is so well adored. I went there heaps before this opened and it does feel like a community venture”.
Clementine is one among many independent businesses in Islington to have recently turned to crowdfunding, alongside Soul Mama, Islington Climate Centre and Loom Club.
Quince’s established reputation helped Clementine’s campaign. Ms Sims said: “you know what you are putting your money towards”, whereas for new local businesses “it’s much harder to make that assessment”.
This raises concerns about how new independent businesses can secure funding and compete with established chains in Islington.