Help us Rise From the Ashes

At 1 am on Wednesday, August 9th, we were awoken by the sound of someone pounding on our front door. When dashing out of bed to investigate, we saw a 30 foot wall of flame outside our upstairs window that was cracking from the heat. There was a fire right next to our house. A fire crew and passerby to the event was trying to get us out.

Thanks to the quick work of the fire response teams, the fire was extinguished before it did serious damage to our home, and no living creatures were harmed. The fire was started in the dumpster of the business next to our driveway and the suspected arsonist has been charged with the crime, pending trial. The fire reached arborvitae trees that line our driveway for privacy and they went up instantly, creating a wall of fire that was partially blocked by our vehicles in the driveway. After the fire was out and we were allowed to return to our home, we were able to assess the damage. All the arborvitae burned, our home was damaged (windows, siding, door), and both our personal car and the Pulpmobile truck for our handmade papermaking studio, Pulp & Deckle , had their sides closest to the fire melted away. We do not know at this time what the future of the mobile studio will be, and of course this makes planning for future for our small business very difficult.


So many things could have gone differently that night. All things considered, it was the best possible result of a terrifying incident.

We are working with insurance and repairs to our home have started. We personally are still working out our emotions about the incident. At a time when so many people are suffering from hurricanes, fires, and other devastating disasters, it is very difficult to ask for help. Our sense of safety and wellbeing has been compromised, and this has made it hard to focus on recovery.

We have worked hard to keep our small business going, and to have a positive impact on our community.  Recently Jenn was interviewed about her most recent handmade paper based art project and you can view the KGW story from Tracy Barry about the project here .

Initially after the incident we were in shock and unsure if we would have insurance coverage for all of the damage. Because we did not have comprehensive coverage as part of our auto insurance, the vehicles were not covered for fire.  The Pulpmobile was a very unique vehicle; it was a converted stepvan with a water tank, pump, sink and a gas-powered generator, aquired after a successful Kickstart campaign we ran last year.  We have been able to bring it to remote areas and set up pop-up papermaking classes and bring our craft out to the public, but the damage has made it a total loss.  Replacing it is a tall order, and we're hoping to raise enough funds to make that happen.  We still fully intend to bring Pulp to the People. 

We are endlessly grateful to our family and friends who have been there for us and are helping us.  And we thank you for helping us recover from this loss.  

Here's what we hope to get back to once we replace the mobile studio. Engaging people of all ages via mobile workshops, demos, and studio rental. With your help we can make it happen! Thank you!!!