Hello, my name is Ryan Durrett. Last night my entire welding shop, along with many others at South River Arts Studios were destroyed in a building fire. I lost everything I had in the shop to the fire. The entire warehouse space was destroyed, myself and others will now have to find a new place to be able to work from.

What I lost was the accumulation of 10 years of hard work, slowly building my shop into a place where I can make a living from making quality, handmade things for people who truly appreciate my craft. I now no longer have the tools or the space to make a living this way.

I lost at least $50,000 worth of tools, equipment, and materials; including multiple welding machines, bandsaws, toolboxes, table saws, lathes, and a random assortment of hand and power tools, etc. Over the last decade I have put every cent that I've profited back into my shop. If you know me, you know how obsessed I am with my craft and spending my free time in the studio on my weird side project creations. In addition to my tools, I lost years worth of work of mine. From sculptures, to wooden boxes, to my office that I recently built for my girlfriend to work alongside me. These are all sentimental things that cannot be replaced. I also lost my motorcycles, bicycles, and a vintage moped which I kept and worked on at the shop. Unfortunately my insurance is not going to be covering any of my losses.

This is a position I never thought I would find myself in, having to ask for help this way. If you are able to contribute, from the bottom of my heart I appreciate you, anything helps. I am asking for $73,000. $50,000 to cover the loss of my tools, $8,000 to cover a couple months of rent and a deposit on a new place to work, and $15,000 for the time I will be unable to work until I have a space and tools again.

South River Art Studios is a very special place, and means so much to me and many others. If you ever had the pleasure of going there, you know what I mean. The greatest loss through all of this is the loss of a home for this community to work alongside one another. Atlanta doesn't have many gems like this left. We all lost something very special today.