DECEMBER ISSUE - MOONSTONE
MOONSTONE
Name: Jeremy, Utama, Vinny
Occupation: Founders & Co-Founders of Moonstone Bar
Industry: F&B
Tis the season of giving, this month on #CANVAS, we bring you to the hustle and bustle of central Singapore to a place where people of all walks of life come together for a fun filled evening. Welcome to Moonstone, the story of 4 like minded friends who came together on an impulse with a common vision of creating a place built around communities and proudly calling it their second home.
2020 has been a rough year, the pandemic took the world by surprise and affected the less fortunate. With the community in mind, it was time to adapt, evolve and revolve. The concept is simple, Drinks for a Good Cause, code name: "Care Bear".
The goal: Giving back to the community in which we live, work and play.
Find out more about our interview with the team on their give back initiative, here's to creating!
"We've committed to giving away free meals to the needy in partnership with @foodbanksg and other charity initiatives for as long as we can. And you can help us achieve more by getting a "CARE BEAR" shot at the bar!"
1 x $10 shot = 1 x bowl of food
100% of profits will fund food drive to the less fortunate
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How did Moonstone came about?
Moonstone was the story of 4 people who came together on an impulse and a common vision of creating a place we proudly call our second home. The history of this place goes back to 21 Moonstone Lane, at the rooftop of a old industial building, Poh Leng Building. Yang and I chanced upon it while visiting a friend in the area and within a day, Yang had convinced me of the potential of the space then and had even roped in Vinny and Narelle into her grand plan. It's hard to believe, but 21Moonstone, our first venue and mixed concept bar and creative coworking space was created in a matter of days, almost like an act of impulse, crazy, but well worth.
Fast forward, 2 years later, we found ourselves at Amoy Street, upgraded, same same but also different. We still work closely with the community to find meaningful ways to collaborate.
How did the food giveaway idea came about?
2020 has been a really terrible year, especially when circuit breaker came about. While most of Singapore was enjoying working from home, the harsh reality was that not many paid attention to the less fortunate among us who did not have the privilege or opportunity to even work from home. As we were doing food deliveries at that point of time and had some excess capacity among the team, we decided to divert that attention to the community around us. Even though Phase 2 eventually came about, we decided to carry on with the idea by taking our charity programme further with the support of William Grant & Sons (brand owner of Monkey Shoulder Whisky) who were willing to support with items in kind.
So together with the Moonstone team we came up what we call the Care Bear initiative in Phase 2. Where every purchase of 1 "Care Bear" shot at the bar will help us to sponsor 1 additional meal, extending the life of our programme for over 5 months now. We've worked with Foodbank and other non-profit organisations like The Singapore Cheshire home to offer over 500 free meals till date.
"To us it's really beyond looking at how much we are able to gift, but more on the notion on how each and everyone of us can contribute in our own small ways."
How can this initiative impact the community?
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With the pandemic and restrictions on travelling, how does the team keep their creative mojo flowing?
Moonstone in itself is our canvas and we've found many ways to keep our creative mojo flowing through various collaborations in many different forms. From working with other fnb businesses for kitchen and bar takeovers, to working with local artists to 'zhng' up our place. Our spirit for collaboration has stayed the same since the beginning and we are always open for anyone with new ideas to make Moonstone a place you can find comfort and familiarity with.
Some of our latest collabs include working with The Ride Side, a local ski company who pivoted into skating a few months back. They have decked our wall with their latest line of skateboards and even provided a balancing board people can have fun with while at the bar (our wall of skates). We also work with artists to showcase their works, ranging from our very own @yangermeister to @song.rscls, allowing their works to be accessible to everyone and giving people the opportunity to own their very own piece of art.
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"It's $10 a pop for a shot of infused spirit (like Coffee infused Monkey Shoulder Whiskey) and we'll make the arrangements for a meal distribution at the next available opportunity." - MOONSTONE Care Bear Charity initiative.
What's on the menu and how can the community engage in this initiative?
Well, shameless plug if I may, we have launched an all-new dinner menu comprising of a mix of south-east asian and japanese influence, and honestly just a mix of things we enjoy.
Our food programme has been very much a journey of change, growing together with the Moonstone brand as we "glow up" with time. (Our new menu here: https://moonstone.sg/menu) Otherwise our Care Bear charity initiative is still ongoing, all you need to do is to ask our bartenders for it. It's $10 a pop for a shot of infused spirit (like Coffee infused Monkey Shoulder Whiskey) and we'll make the arrangements for a meal distribution at the next available opportunity.
Restrictions are still in place, what's next for Moonstone?
We look forward to the next year with many exciting new collaborations, pop-ups and opportunities lined up. Moonstone is an ever-changing experience, but what is life without a bit of fun and excitement right? While the pandemic has admittedly put many things we used to enjoy on a pause, it has truly taken us back to revisit our roots and purpose of why we do what we do. And the only way is change, keep moving, keep trying and never stop learning.
