Autumn and James Manier are pillars of our beautiful small business community here in Marquette.

They opened the Bargain Barn in 2022 in the Westwood Mall, a resale shop with the goal to keep as much of the money locally as possible. They buy for families during the holiday season, donate clothes and toys back to our community, sponsor and donate to UPAWS, and are an excellent example of what a small business should strive to be.

Autumn and James have begged for repairs to be done to the building with no luck or response from the owner. They have operated without heat for over a year, been dealing with an encroaching mold issue, and have been doing their best to keep ends met despite the owner’s reluctance to upkeep the building.

Unfortunately, the Westwood Mall’s roof collapsed on the evening of February 24th, completely burying James and Autumn’s entire store. Everything they worked so hard for is gone and buried under the snow.

Thankfully no one was hurt, but their entire livelihood was taken away, and we’d like to help them through this difficult period. James and Autumn have four beautiful girls and rely on their income to support their family, including many trips to Wisconsin for one of their daughter’s health needs.

The timeline of any possible repairs are uncertain, and the building is currently closed indefinitely due to safety concerns.

The Manier family has shown our community endless kindness and generosity—we would love to show them how much we appreciate them and how important they are to us.

James and Autumn also will have an account set up at Honor Credit Union where people can make direct donations.

Thank you!!