The Aux Evanston

• Black-led. Project led and owned by a Black team of community leaders
• Entrepeneurs of Color. A vibrant space for Black entrepreneurs, wellness practitioners, and the community 
• Wellness hub. Services support all aspects of physical, emotional, environmental, financial and social wellness
• Revitalization. Repurposes a vacant property into a thriving commercial space
• Culture and community. Intentionally designed spaces for community gatherings and arts and cultural programming
• Return. 100% of net operating income after any debt payments and reserve is distributed pro-rata to investors
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The Auxiliary Cord LLC (the “Company”) has purchased a 16,500 square foot warehouse located at 2223 Washington Street in Evanston, IL 60202 (the “Property”). The Company plans to fully renovate the building, converting it into a commercial hub (The “Aux” or “Project”) for Black-owned small businesses and organizations that focus on community wellness. 

To date, anchor tenants committed to locating in the Aux include:

• The Aux Wellness Collective - a Black-owned wellness center with a full range of programming promoting mind, body and spirit wellbeing for adults and youth.
• The Laundry Cafe - a Black-owned full-service laundry set in a relaxing, modern environment with plans for a wifi cafe, family programs and cultural events.
• Chef Q Ibraheem - an award-winning chef and food justice advocate, who plans to operate a commercial kitchen for her catering company, cooking and gardening classes, and community events.
• Embrace Your Crown - a Black-owned hair, beard, and lash salon.
• The Growing Season - a nonprofit organization that plans to host mindfulness and wellness programming.
• Sunshine Enterprises - a nonprofit organization that helps under-resourced entrepreneurs start or build their business and community.

The Aux is also planning space for pop-up businesses, in order to provide accessible marketplace options for new and emerging entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurial training programs, offered by Sunshine Enterprise, along with affordable coworking spaces, private office spaces, and mailbox services will supplement and strengthen support services to be provided by The Aux for emerging and growing entrepreneurs in the community.

The Aux team has engaged Nia Architects and Ujamaa Construction – both Black-owned firms –  to lead the design and construction process for the project. Transformation of the building, formerly a vegetable processing industrial plant,into a multi-tenant commercial building, will require overhauling all systems and remaking of space configurations to create The Aux.

Current design plans include physical space for: a range of wellness service providers, food and beverages vendors, and creative makers; spaces to host and support entrepreneurs; gathering areas for cultural and educational programming; and retail space for product sales:

The IKUN. Our central gathering space able to host up to 150 people.

Permanent Spaces. Five service-oriented tenant spaces ranging from 500 - 2000 square feet and two anchor tenant spaces with larger spaces for a laundromat and wellness training center.

Five pop-up market spaces. These are spaces designed to be rented for 3 - 12 months by entrepreneurs testing products and services in a smaller, adaptive brick and mortar option.

Five private offices and co-working space. These are spaces designed to be rented for 3 - 12 months by entrepreneurs scaling up a business idea that would benefit from dedicated office space in a business setting.

Kitchen and outdoor gardens. A dedicated commercial kitchen will be operated by an anchor catering company but also made available for rent to start-up entrepreneurs. Food-producing gardens are integrated into the tenant's use and serve also as an educational space.

Construction commenced in November 2023 and is scheduled to complete by December 2024. The Aux team intends to engage a third-party property manager to address day-to-day operations and tenant management.Show Less

Construction is underway on The Aux. All major underground systems are complete and the new roof has been installed with a clerestory to allow light into the central gathering area. Construction is on schedule to be completed by the end of the year. Notably, our general contractor, Ujamaa Construction, has achieved 63% participation by minority and women-owned business enterprise (M/WBE) contractors, far exceeding the State of Illinois contracting goal of 18%. The Aux team is engaging with tenant businesses to prepare for opening.Show Less

The Auxiliary Cord, LLC is leading the equity raise and developing The Aux in partnership with the Growing Season, a nonprofit organization, who has assembled a co-developer team of community leaders. Tosha Wilson, Lori Laser Tiffini Holmes and Jacqui White will also act as the inception Managing Members for the Company. 

Tosha Wilson, is a 5th generation Evanstonian and co-owner of The Laundry Café. Tosha received her bachelor’s from Illinois State University and her Master's Degree in Children's Law and Policy from Loyola University School of Law in Chicago. Tosha has served the Evanston community in law enforcement since 2002 and is now a Sergeant, the first African American Evanstonian woman to be promoted within the Evanston Police Dept. In addition, she serves as a youth basketball coach and mentor. Throughout these roles, Tosha has learned that strong communities include healthy people, healthy choices and healthy spaces.

Tiffini Holmes is an accomplished HR Strategist and certified Health Coach with over 19 years of combined coaching and consulting experience in Human Resources, life, and wellness. As owner of Total Transformation Solutions and Co-Founder of Aux Wellness Collective, Tiffini is able to live out her passion for partnering with people to improve their lives. Additionally, Tiffini teaches entrepreneurs of color looking to start or grow their own businesses. Tiffini says, “People are truly my passion and helping them live well at home and work is my purpose.” 

Lori Laser is the founder and lead donor of The Growing Season and a co-developer of The Aux. She is a passionate advocate for ensuring that all families have equitable access to healing and wellness resources. Lori is a graduate of the Engaged Mindfulness Institute and accredited with the International Mindfulness Teachers Association. Lori also serves as a Board Member for Grow Through Mindfulness, a non-profit devoted to improving individual lives and communities through instruction in mindfulness.

Jacqui White is a proud lifelong Evanston resident and co-owner of The Laundry Café.  She received her B.A in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice from Northeastern Illinois University. Jacqui has 20 plus years of experience serving communities in various social service capacities such as mentoring and coaching young women combined with 16 ½ years dedicated to law enforcement. As a mother raising a child in Evanston and an aspiring entrepreneur Jacqui wants to continue serving the community.

Juli Kaufmann, President of Fix Development, serves as lead technical advisor to The Aux Co-Developer team. Fix Development is an award-winning Milwaukee-based commercial real estate company with more than $25 million in main street projects. Juli is a Co-Developer of The Sherman Phoenix and The Clock Shadow Building, both of which serve as inspirations for The Aux.Show Less

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The Company is engaged in a Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF) offering (the “Offering”) to raise money for a 16,500 sq ft. of renovated commercial space for Black-owned businesses in Evanston, IL.

Our goal is to raise a maximum of $1,500,000, but we will move forward with the Project and use investor funds if we are able to raise at least $150,000 (the “Target Amount”). If we have not raised at least the Target Amount by 11:59 pm on April 30, 2025, EST (the “Target Date”), we will terminate the Offering and return 100% of their money to anyone who has subscribed.

The minimum you can invest in the Offering is $1,000 and the maximum amount you can invest is $50,0000.

Investments above $1,000 may be made in $1000 increments (e.g., $1,000 or $2,000, but not $1,500). An investor may cancel his or her commitment up until 11:59 pm on April 28, 2025 (i.e., two days before the Target Date). If we have raised at least the Target Amount we might decide to accept the funds and admit investors to the Company before the Target Date; in that case we will notify you and give you the right to cancel.

After we accept the funds and admit investors to the Company, whether on the Target Date or before, we will continue the Offering until we have raised the maximum amount.

You can download a copy of the Form C and Disclosure Packet here or where registered on the SEC.gov site. Investments under Reg CF are offered by NSSC Funding Portal, LLC, a licensed funding portal.Show Less

A crowdfunding investment involves risk. You should not invest any funds in this offering unless you can afford to lose your entire investment. 

In making an investment decision, Investors must rely on their own examination of the issuer and the terms of the offering, including the merits and risks involved. These securities have not been recommended or approved by any federal or state securities commission or regulatory authority. Furthermore, these authorities have not passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this document.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission does not pass upon the merits of any securities offered or the terms of the offering, nor does it pass upon the accuracy or completeness of any offering document or literature.

These securities are offered under an exemption from registration; however, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has not made an independent determination that these securities are exempt from registration.

Additional statement:

There are numerous risks to consider when making an investment such as this one and financial projections are just that - projections. Returns are not guaranteed. Conditions that may affect your investment include unforeseen construction costs, changes in market conditions, and potential disasters that are not covered by insurance. Show Less