Help Chapelboro Arcade-Bar Recover from Water Main Disaster

Hello, our beloved Chapelboro community. We find ourselves in need of your help, big time. An unforeseen and totally ill-timed disaster has struck our arcade-bar. Our water main has completely failed. It runs under the sidewalk, patio, and building. Our landlords are awesome and will help us in any way they can, but that doesn't solve the short-term emergency we find ourselves in. A little backstory is required:

About a month ago, we were alerted by OWASA that we may have a water leak. After days of sleuthing, we found nothing. We tore out parts of the wall and checked every fixture and appliance. Still, we replaced some parts in our toilets and sinks, hoping that would alleviate any possible issues. About a week ago, we got a whopping $850 water bill. Then shortly after, we got our landlord involved and called OWASA for advice. On the same day, Friday, June 20th, as we were calling OWASA, our water main burst where it meets the meter. We are talking a hundred-gallon-per-minute gusher. It couldn't have been timed any more coincidentally.

This caused us to have to shut the water to the building off and call several plumbers to try and get someone out. What they found was a 50+ year old pipe that had given out where OWASA installed the newer meters in 2020. So, we have been closed off and on since, trying to solve the problem incrementally. The plumbers welded several new joints and sections to the main to see if that would fix the issue. However, about 10 PM Saturday, June 21st, the pipe failed again, causing another gusher. So now, it has become apparent that we will be closed for an unknown amount of time while the water main gets fixed/replaced.

This means several things:

One, if we're closed, we can't make sales. This is bad news for a small business. We have had a tough year already, and this is definitely icing on the tough-times cake.

Two: our employees are going to miss shifts.

Three: we may fall behind on bills, and we may be stuck with a massive repair and water bill, depending on insurance and OWASA. A lot of what-ifs at the moment...

For many businesses, this could spell major trouble and extreme short-term hardship. We are not far off from that position, so we need your help. Help us through this so we can continue to be the awesome, fun, and nerdy safe-space you know and love. Help us keep our employees' heads above water while we figure this out.

Donate, share, or spread the word any way you can.

Our initial goal is set to cover the following bases:

$10K in lost revenue/sales (from Friday, June 20 till ?) - to help keep the lights on

$2.5K in employee stipends to make up pay while we are shut down

$7.5K in estimated possible repairs, water bills, and/or possible legal/consulting fees