Early Saturday morning tragedy struck Mt. Angel when the massive wooden granary building went up in a blaze. This historic building housed a few businesses, including the Blackbird Antique Mall where i've been vending for the last 5 years. This place has been a 2nd home to me, a place of peace and joy not only for my passion for collecting old things, but where i started my own business as well. Ive very successfully ran a couple spaces there ever since and its turned into my full time job. Ive re-invested in my space each month since i started and it turned into a very well curated and beloved space. Finding obscure and amazing treasures i can share with so many amazing customers, followers and friends is what keeps me waking up each day..... Last night it all was destroyed in a blink.
I lost everything, as well as about 50 other vendors. We are all scrambling to sift through this situation and account for our losses as the realization that this cannot be rebuilt has set in.
I had about 30k$ of inventory there, including many antique display cases filled with my collections of antiques and oddities, skeletons, medical specimens, taxidermy, medical and dental tools, a lovely collection of antique apothecary jars, science posters and school lab equipment as well as a lot of my own art and jewelry ive made over the years. So many beautiful things gone forever.
To say this is devastating is like saying the ocean is big, losing it all is one thing, but now ive also lost a significant portion of my monthly income with no foreseeable recovery going forward. Asking for financial help feels uncomfortable to me but i desperately need the help. I am not sure at this point how i will distribute any donations to other vendors that need help, but i do very much want to be able to do so for as many people as I can, we all lost so much. We all grieve together on this one. Please give what you can and i will do what i can to help as many of us that need it.
I had about 30k$ of inventory there, including many antique display cases filled with my collections of antiques and oddities, skeletons, medical specimens, taxidermy, medical and dental tools, a lovely collection of antique apothecary jars, science posters and school lab equipment as well as a lot of my own art and jewelry ive made over the years. So many beautiful things gone forever.
To say this is devastating is like saying the ocean is big, losing it all is one thing, but now ive also lost a significant portion of my monthly income with no foreseeable recovery going forward. Asking for financial help feels uncomfortable to me but i desperately need the help. I am not sure at this point how i will distribute any donations to other vendors that need help, but i do very much want to be able to do so for as many people as I can, we all lost so much. We all grieve together on this one. Please give what you can and i will do what i can to help as many of us that need it.
My paypal and Venmo are @DeathIsntTheEnd if thats easier or better for you to donate
again, thanks to all and please share.
Organizer
Jacob Cain
Organizer
Mount Angel, OR