Help Jen Recover After Helene's Devastating Studio Flood!

Hi, my name is Jen.

I'm the owner and artist of Blue Lotus Design Studios, located in the River Arts District in Asheville, NC. I've lived in Asheville since 2013, and I officially started my business here 8 years ago. Creating original gemstone jewelry is both my passion and my livelihood, and my working studio has been located at Foundation Studios (27 Foundy Street, Asheville, NC 28801) for the past 3 years now. The studio/gallery has been my second home and primary workspace during this period of time, and it was an ideal setup. Our collection of artists truly felt (and still feels) like a family! I had a semi-private 13.5' x 16' room, with 24/7 access, where I could store materials, network, create my work, and forge friendships. I also had use of the "flex space" for teaching workshops. Additionally, our building was along the Art Trolley route and was open to the public from 12-6 pm every M-F, and from 12-8 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

I had 6 glass cases there, primarily full of one-of-a-kind, Sterling Silver and Gold, gemstone jewelry, as well as a wall-mounted Mala rack for my ceremonial prayer bead necklaces, all for sale. At the time of the flooding (the lull in between the end of summer and our busiest time of year, autumn into the holiday season), nearly all of my inventory was on display there, with the exception of the items on consignment at Earth Magick and Earthly Minds Gallery. I also had my entire back stock supply of gemstone bracelets and earrings there.

I'm sure you've all heard about the devastating flooding to Asheville's River Arts District and so many areas in Western North Carolina from Hurricane Helene. This was devastatingly, one of the hardest-hit areas. No one saw this coming. We couldn't even have imagined that the river would crest at almost 28 feet and submerge the entire building. When we first heard of the storm coming, we expected that the parking lot might flood, and sandbags were put in place just in case the water level came all the way up to the entrance, which to my knowledge has never happened. Even by Thursday, when the river began exceeding its banks due to the storm the night before the hurricane's arrival, when the road was beginning to flood, and it was no longer safe to drive there, we thought that in an absolute worst-case scenario, there might be a couple of feet of water inside. No one could've anticipated this. It was unfathomable. Our beloved studio space has been completely destroyed, with our artwork/supplies/livelihoods inside. Very little can be found intact, and of those items, we still don't know just what might be salvageable. I lost at least 90% of my current collection of work, not to mention a significant amount of materials and supplies, and my studio furniture/shelving/storage, jewelry cases, many vending and display items, area rugs and curtains, many gemstone specimens that were being used in my displays, and so much more. I'm still processing this immense loss and still feel as though I'm in shock.

I am currently in the process of compiling a detailed, itemized list of absolutely everything that was there...I have somewhat of a photographic memory, and I can still very clearly see every nook and corner of my space in my mind's eye, as it was before the storm. Once that list is complete, I will share it here and adjust my goal if necessary. If I manage to raise more than I need, I will share the funds with other local artists who were also affected by this disaster.

Any donations made will be immensely helpful in covering the cost of my lost inventory, allowing me to replace materials, supplies and tools so that I can begin creating a new collection, and helping with lost income during what are consistently the busiest months of the year. Funds will also allow me to replace items necessary to set up another comparable studio space (very likely at home) once I'm able to begin that process.

Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for any help that you're able to provide! My thoughts and prayers are with our beautiful, greater Asheville community, and all of WNC, especially those who have lost homes and loved ones, the artists, and small businesses.