First of all, thank you for taking the time to visit this fundraiser.

Last weekend, our shop was burglarized. Everyone is okay. No one was hurt, but we are certainly feeling the effects of having our collective art space, Upside, being violated and reeling from the loss of property.

At about 2 o’clock Monday morning, someone broke into our space and grabbed a bunch of tools from my bay in the shop. They were in and out very quickly, and even though we were protected by alarms and a security system, it didn’t take long for the thief to get away with several thousand dollars of equipment.

While I do my best to create a safe space and to protect myself and others in the shop, it was impossible to foresee someone scaling multiple fences and entering our space from the backyard. While we have security measures and cameras, it’s highly unlikely we’ll be able to recover our losses.

You’re going to ask, “Were you insured?”

The short answer is “Yes.”

Having learned from past incidents, it was very important to me to have some insurance coverage. Unfortunately, that’s not going to be enough to fully recover. Small business insurance is very expensive, and in order to get a reasonable rate, I have a high deductible. In addition, the insurance company is going to depreciate my tools to the point where I could not entirely afford to replace them. So while the insurance is certainly good to have, it will not “make me whole.” It will also likely take a protracted amount of time to settle this, and my business can’t afford to lose any time. Work has come to a momentary standstill as I beef up security to better protect myself and the other members of our art space.

Obviously, times are tough for everyone right now, and I’m reticent to ask for help, but I’m in a bind. So many of you have supported me in so many ways over the years. For those that can, I greatly appreciate any support you can offer. It will go a long way to help me get back to work soon. For those that are unable to donate, please consider sharing this fundraiser to boost the signal.

I fancy myself a resilient person, but in truth, it’s all because of my community’s continued support, and I thank you for doing whatever you can to help me get over this hump so I can get back to work.

With gratitude,

Ryan Montgomery

Geary and Hyde Design