Help Us Recover & Relocate Our Business After Helene

My name is Thea Picard and I am the owner and founder of Old Couch Girl, a vintage furniture retailer specializing in upholstered seating here in Durham, NC. I share(d) a work space/building with my best friend and fellow vintage furniture dealer, Kim Cordray. Her shop is called Heron & Hellebore. She specializes in teak furniture with a focus in beds and dining sets.

On Friday September 27 as a result of unprecedented rains from Hurricane Helene our workshop and headquarters flooded. While we are fortunate that it wasn't worse it remains quite a blow to our businesses. We had 6" of water. Not enough to ruin everything but enough to ruin and damage many valuable pieces along with our building. Because our building is located in a low-lying area near a creek the risk of another flood is high. Our wonderful landlords had professionals on site day-of to clean up the mud and water but our building is still damp and saturated. It is not safe to use or work in. On top of that, our building will likely be demolished as its value does not exceed the risks and likelihood of another flood and it is not worth repairing. So, we cannot stay.

We have set up this gofundme to help keep us afloat while we relocate and regrow our businesses after this unfortunate incident. This is the last thing we wanted to do. It is hard to ask for help, especially with the devastation of a much larger magnitude in Western NC but we have had many people ask us how they can help and suggest a gofundme. So after much thought and consideration we've decided this is our best option. We did not have flood insurance as we did not realize that we were in a flood plain until it was too late and most renter's insurance does not cover flood damage. We do not qualify for federal disaster relief loans because our county made it out of the storm in good shape, except for us. These businesses are our sole employment and we unfortunately do not have savings. We have set a goal of $10,000 which would help cover some of the $11k in damages, bills, living expenses, storage fees and cost of relocating (i.e. 1st and last month's rent plus security deposit on a new space).

In the coming weeks and months we will have to move our remaining inventory and business possessions into storage while we look for a new space. Our current space was a lucky find and very affordable but with record high rent it will be difficult to find a new space that we can afford. We will likely work from our homes and storage until we can find a solution.

We appreciate you all taking the time to read about our loss and consider helping. Every little bit counts and we are deeply grateful for your donations and assistance. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. ❤️

Love,

Kim & Thea