Red Hook, Brooklyn warehouse fire devastates co-owners of vintage furniture store
There is heartbreak for a pair of Brooklyn furniture store owners following last week's devastating warehouse fire.
They lost nearly 900 pieces. Now, their focus is on survival.
The fire broke out on Wednesday morning at a more-than-a-century-old building on Van Brunt Street, ripping through dozens of small businesses and art studios under the same roof. The cause remains under investigation.
"We've put our heart and soul into it for 10 years"
Lars Noah Balderskilde's and David Singh's furniture store, Lanoba Design, in Red Hook wasn't just a business; It was their dream.
"We've put our heart and soul into it for 10 years," Singh said.
"We couldn't speak. We were numb," Balderskilde said. "We went back into our apartment and just started crying."
The shop was once filled with rare Danish pieces shipped from overseas that they refurbished.
"They are all pieces from the 1940s and '50s, so they are 70, 80, 90 years old," Balderskilde said.
The pieces were destroyed not by flames but by the thousands of gallons of water firefighters used to put out the blaze.
"These are works of art and a piece of history and a legacy, and that was one of the most soul-crushing things. Not only our work was done, but actually history was erased," Singh said.
The co-owners said they have taken risks and built relationships with customers.
"We had orders in place, deliveries going out that day and throughout the weekend, and to have to call a customer and tell them this beautiful piece they had picked up and paid for and picked out was gone. And I think they were in utter shock," Singh said.
Support from the community has been "overwhelming"
The road ahead is uncertain and the rebuilding feels overwhelming, but the co-owners said they are determined not to let the fire be the end of their story.
"It has been surprising and overwhelming for us to see that amount of support, what people have offered to do for us," Balderskilde said.
"We're energized, and we're energized to bring everyone up with us," Singh added. "I think if we can be a model of that saying, 'This is not over,' we spent 10 years doing this. We're not going to walk away."
The warehouse fire continues to weigh heavily on those impacted by it and many of the artists and business owners are now exploring fundraising efforts and community support to rebuild what was lost.