chicago news

Edgewater Business Making Progress to Reopen After Winter Water Damage

NBC Universal, Inc.

A Chicago business owner is planning to reopen her establishment later this month after the severe cold caused a pipe to burst, flooding the store. NBC 5’s Lexi Sutter reports.

On Dec. 28, Chicago business owner Deirdre Austin’s dream was destroyed.

The severe cold caused a pipe to burst, flooding the brand new store in Edgewater she opened with her son, called DMApothecary.

“I saw a little piece of the wall two blocks up the street that my son had hand painted, and I knew it was something not so pretty,” Austin explained of the flooding. “I could see pieces of my giftsets all on the ground where when the firemen let the water out, just swishing around floating outside.”

The store was always her goal and it finally came to fruition in September, only to face such a major setback a few months later.

She’s lost over $10,000 and is still working to replace electrical equipment, ingredients and damaged products, including all natural soaps and lotions.

“We are really at a crunch time to try and recoup the funds so we can get back open,” Austin said.

She hopes to reopen by the end of the month - a testament to her resilience, her faith, and the desire to never give up on a dream.

“I know in the midst of the chaos something good will come out of it, I don’t know what it is yet, but I know something good will come out of this,” Austin said.

A GoFundMe fundraiser has been created to help raise funds to reopen the store.

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