Help Karen @ Loupeestuff remain in her home

I am heartbroken to tell you that Pat Barr, owner of Loupeestuff Classic Car Parts has passed away.

 

Those who met Pat knew him as a happy, positive, caring man. He loved cars and animals and would do anything for his three puppies. (They even became famous for a few years when they traveled with us to auctions & sales)

 

 

 

He was willing to spend hours on the phone helping customers with their problems. He traveled the country buying and selling and met so many he was proud to call friends. His job entailed helping numerous widows find a way to handle their husband's belongings, it always broke his heart.

 

Pat had a heart attack nine years ago at 54. They put in 4 stents. He had just been cleared by his heart doctor to go for a year between appts. His passing was extremely sudden and unexpected. Turns out he had an aortal aneurism that was leaking in his stomach and it burst, killing him instantly. He would have been 64 on veterans day.

 

I never thought I'd be asking for help, but here I am. Because both of us have had serious health problems for the past 20 years, we found it impossible to obtain life insurance that we could afford. So when Pat passed away last month, I was left with a business that takes two to run and no financing to move forward.

 

I'm just devastated! I lost my daughter to suicide last year, then my father to cancer in June 2021. But losing my soulmate has been the most painful thing I've ever had to survive.

 

Pat & I met in rehab, 25 years ago, where they gave us ZERO chance of making it together. We not only got sober and stayed sober for the last 24 years, we built a small business from the ground up. Starting with $3,000 left to him by a deceased aunt, we managed to build Loupeestuff to what it is today without asking anyone for help.

For the last 25 years, we've rented our homes. Hoping at some point to save up enough for a down payment on a place of our own. Each time we made some progress toward that goal, we would be struck with major medical or other bills. But Pat never gave up!

 

Now, I am unable to run the business on my own. I have too many health issues. I've been disabled since 2009, the year I stopped traveling with my husband to sales. I've missed seeing all of you ♥

 

So I'm asking for help. My request is two-fold. In order to stay here,  I need help quickly!  In order to keep the business running, I'd have to hire help. But I don't have the funds to stay in my home, let alone pay someone a wage for helping out.

 

First, as many of you know, this business requires a lot of room for storage and inventory. I have a large house and building packed with old car parts. So, I can't move out of the house we're in until I can hold an auction. There's just too much to move. It would cost thousands of dollars.

Unfortunately, the soonest I can get an auction together is October 2022. So, I need to find a way to pay the bills until then.

 

The rent is $2,000 a month. If you include all the utilities & such, it's close to $3,000, and that doesn't account for food, gas, or personal necessities. 

 

Second, I'm asking for help to get into a new home. Since I've suddenly become a widow on social security, with no other income, and little savings, I'm finding it extremely difficult to get a loan on a place without a 20% down payment.

 

After talking with numerous financing people, I've been told that my credit score is too high to get help from any of the low-income programs out there! Not sure that makes any sense, but there it is. We've tried so hard to keep the bills paid and our credit good over the years. It now seems to be a disadvantage! But regardless, if I can't continue paying the bills, that score will drop quickly.

 

I'm asking for any help you can give to help me find an affordable place for me and the three parts puppies. I can't afford to rent but I can afford to pay a mortgage. Anyone else in that position? In order to buy a forever home, I'll need to have at least 20% down payment. For the cheapest places, (even $75-$100k) that would mean a minimum of $14,000.

 

It's incredibly hard to share this. I know many of you don't know me personally. But know this: Pat & I poured our heart and soul into making something of our little business and I'm extremely proud of what it became. Against even the strongest odds, we were able to keep our little business running and I am proud to say we come up first on a Google search for many parts, including exterior sunvisors. We've been able to fit the right parts with the right people for over 20 years and it breaks my heart to think I might lose the business my wonderful husband put everything into building. My main goal is to find shelter. My other hope is to keep the business running.

I'd love to continue serving the classic car community, but in order to do that, I'll need a place to keep what little inventory won't be sold at auction.

 

Please give whatever you can to help me keep a roof over my head and find a new forever home for myself and the Loupeestuff Parts Puppies. ♥♥♥