Gatlinburg Wildfire Pottery Relief

Hello All, This is Tim Kerns. I want to thank all the friends and family who’ve been checking in during the week of the fires and asking how you can support me. My family and I are so grateful we made it to safety when Gatlinburg started to burn. As most of you know, I’ve been a potter of 15 years. I've spent the past several years building my own business, beginning as a sole proprietorship. November 1st, 2016 was a huge milestone: I started my new business, Bear Trail Pottery. As most of you know, on November 28, wildfires from within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park spread suddenly into the town of Gatlinburg. That Monday night was a scary time for all of us. The evacuation orders were rapid and getting out of town with fires burning alongside the roadway was dangerous. For several days most of us didn't know the status of our homes and businesses. Fortunately, all my family members’ homes survived the fires. But the news soon came that the pottery workshop I share with some of my closest friends didn't make it. It's a hard truth to believe until you actually see it with your own eyes. It didn't seem real to me until I was able to drive up to it and actually touch it with my own hands. I made a major mistake by not locking in insurance yet. All of the studio is gone: the equipment, clay and glaze materials, kilns, wheels and products that were in process. I need to start again from scratch.This is why I need to ask you all for some help. I'd like to build back from the ashes even stronger than before. I’m hoping to get a workspace up and running as soon as possible. My first step is to repurchase the clays and glaze materials to complete my current outstanding orders. I’ll also use funds raised here to go towards the purchase of the equipment and tools needed to produce those items.Every little bit helps.Thanks and much love to all my friends, family, and mud slingers (potters). Your support and concern have meant so much during this unexpected disaster. Gratefully,Tim Kerns