Blog: Archives / March 2012

The building is starting to come together,  so I decided to head to Memphis to spend a few days with Natalie Ellis-Chang.   For those of you who don't know,  Natalie was my very first employee at Dream Baskets.  She was sixteen years old and filled with so much talent and enthusiasm.   While Natalie may think she learned alot from me,  it was I who learned alot from her.  As I watched her grow up and be involved in school activities,  I realized,  she is different,  she has a talent that many others never have the opportunity to see.  Natalie is filled with positive energy that is fueled by her faith and her upbringing.  When Natalie left Dream Baskets to attend college at Taylor Unviversity,  I was so excited for her,  but so sad to watch a young woman who had started as an employee and was now one of my best friends leave what she had helped create at Dream Baskets.   I always enjoyed her phone calls that would include a fun project she was working on,  or an organization she was involved in and working to further their cause.  When Natalie landed her dream internship job with the Mary Englebreit company,  that was the start of her explosion into the corporate world.  Since that time,  Natalie was courted to join the company of Julia D. Azar in Memphis and assist her in marketing and branding her product.  She later joined the Lifeguard Press company and is their brains behind the Trade Shows.  Her design and creativity make a showroom stand out from the rest.  Natalie along with her team have won best of floor several times at the Americas Mart in Atlanta with their bold display of Lilly Pullitzer, Jonathan Adler and Dylans Candy Bar products.   And in case you didn't know,  in her spare time,  Natalie is the designer behind the name - her super chic little studio located in Memphis is a design studio that is bursting with creativity and one of a kind designs.   I have worked with her on several occassions and every result was a Happy Bride!  So when the tornado hit Harrisburg,  Natalie was quick to call and leave me a message that says "We" can build it back - bigger and better than ever! So after three weeks of construction,  it was off to Memphis to work with Natalie to design from the ground up a new Bigger and Better Dream Baskets.  The details of the week are Hush...Hush...until April 16th,  but I promise you that if you make it in for the Grand Re-Opening you won't be disappointed!! My sister and I wouldn't have enjoyed the rebuilding of the image of the store had it not been for Ms. Natalie.

Seventeen days have passed since the tornado hit Harrisburg and what a drastic change it has made in the life of everyone associated with Dream Baskets.  With the  help of general contractor Mike Reed,  we have been moving along and rebuilding at a fast pace.  What many of you don't understand is that the entire store was ruined.  We salvaged about 1/3 of our inventory that was stored as backstock and in cabinets or closets.  The rest of our inventory is  gone.  Merchandise on the selling floor was filled with glass, insulation, dirt, debris or  blown outside.  The entire store had to be emptied,  drywall ripped down,  lights removed, and all fixtures thrown  out.  So right now it is a shell with insulation and drywall. Everything we had worked so hard to build was gone in a blink of an eye.  I can only imagine what people who lost  their home must feel like.  The insurance company hauled  off all of our inventory on Thursday of last week.  What an awful feeling to watch everything you have worked so hard to build  just thrown  in a trailer and hauled away.  All of the hours of work researching the products to purchase,  the hours of making displays, wrapping gifts, building a customer base,  it just didn't seem to matter when they pulled  out of the parking lot.   It was at that moment that I realized that I needed to dwell of the future, not the past and move forward full steam ahead.  So that is what I have tried to do.  Stay positive and stay focused  - there is no looking back!!! Next week,  the  drywall finishers will be in Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to tape and mud the drywall.  Once they leave,  we will begin cleaning and then the painting begins.  We hope you are all as excited about the new colors, fixtures and merchandise as we are.   We've got lots of surprises up our sleeve : ) Monday,  I will be traveling to Memphis to spend a few days with  Ms. Natalie Ellis Chang who is going to help redesign the inside of the store.   We are anxious to unveil the new look on April 16, 2012.  Please mark your calendars for the Grand Re-Opening Party!!!      

Wednesday, February 29, 2012 will be a day that I will never forget.     As I sat in my home listening to the storm hit Harrisburg,  I had no idea of the impact it would have on my life and the life of my friends and Dream Baskets family.  My  phone  received a text message at 5:07 a.m. from my friend Bridget Douglas that said, "How is your store?" I was waiting for the storm to pass,  but as soon as I got that text,  I had a funny feeling that things weren't good.  I met my Dad  on the road as he was checking his barn,   and  I said  calmly,   I will check Hathaway's One Stop and the greenhouses and give you a call when I got to the store.  It  was when  I passed the One Stop and called my cousin Lynn to tell him all was well at the gas station that I realized that the tornado had hit Harrisburg.   When he answered and I heard  all kinds of voices and people yelling , I knew something wasn't right.  As I  said  - Hey!   The canopy is still in place at the One Stop, he  quickly responded , "Great but my house has been hit by a tornado."   Shock and panic instantly hit me, but as I drove,  I noticed that M & S Implement was still standing,  so I thought maybe it missed me.   As  I turned the corner and ran over a ton of wooden 2 X 4's, it hit me that a  stream of ambulances  and lights were everywhere I looked.   It  was then  that I realized something horrible had hit the town of Harrisburg.  I turned  in front of Wok & Roll and was abruptly stopped by a mountain of wood and debris.  I jumped out of my car and headed for the store.  I couldn't believe  my eyes.  The church next to my building was a pile of rubble.  The Golden Circle was a pile of bricks, the USDA office was missing a huge section of their roof,   and Jerry's Home Improvement was gone.   There was a truck in my  driveway turned upside down and all I could think of was,  Oh my goodness I normally am at work! What happened next was something that has calmed my spirit and given me hope.  My dad  cut through the Forest Service parking lot and  pulled up and as I passed the mailbox in a quick pace,  and with his outstretched arms,  he hugged me and said, "It will be okay,  we can fix it, no one was hurt."  It was at that moment that I realized,  yes,  no one is hurt and everything else can be fixed.  As we walked to the front door and literally walked through the door,  I was then  able to see  all of the destruction.  The entire north wall which at its peak is 32 feet was laying flat on the ground and the front windows and door  had blown  out.  Glass was everywhere,  merchandise was  everywhere,  and my whole world felt like it had been turned upside down.  It was at that point with the sirens, and  helicopters and all of the noise outside that I realized,  two of my employees lived over  in the direction of FS and one lived by the hospital. I began frantically calling and texting and  nothing was going thru.  I got a text from Mary Reed and asked if we were okay,  but we couldn't send any message from the area.  I was so relieved to see Mike Reed pull up at daybreak.  I had already left Steve Williams from Williams Insurance a message and told him I needed him asap.  The problem for everyone was that at this point law enforcement had shut down the road. I couldn't get through to my sister and my brother kept calling and sending text messages,  but the messages were unable to be sent back.   My sister had to walk in, my cousin  Robert Hathaway walked in,  my in laws had to walk in, and Mary Reed walked in.  With no power and my head spinning,  I noticed the Barnes Lumber truck pulled up with a load of OSB Board.  The  Barnes Lumber employees were so kind  to allow us to load their truck and deliver the food and Mary Reed to FUMC  in Harrisburg to feed people on Wednesday. By this time,  it is only 9 am. and  my store if filled with people,  I don't even know how  it happened,  but Robert Hathaway walked up,  Katina Eubanks and Keegan  showed up,  my in laws, my dad, my sister, her husband and my nephew,  two gentleman from Vienna that my Dad does business with, Blake and Harold Wilson, Clifford Debose,  Jo Nipper, Christine Bolin and her husband, Benna Daughtery, and Jim Davidson were helping us salvage what we could.  By 11:30 a.m. we had salvaged what we could and Steve Williams and the crew from Williams Insurance had arrived.  It was such a relief to have Nathan Ashby call  the adjuster and give us the opportunity to speak with him.  He gave me a wonderful sense of calm when he said I will be there tomorrow at 8 a.m.  His took the time to explain to me what I needed to do and  protect what we could.  Once  the volunteers left,   it was time to clean up.  Bulldog Systems delivered a huge yard dumpster within 30 minutes of my call.   I can not thank Jeremy and Krysti Bennet enough for bringing us food to eat on that day.  We were starving and just their warm hugs and kind words lifted our spirits.  We were refueled and ready to  fill the dumpster with all of the debris lying around.   The nails, insulation, metal and debris where unbelievable.   As we continued to bust up the  the 32 foot wall that had fallen,  I looked  up and the entire Bozarth Family showed up to help us, as well as Pete Smith  and  Mark Wilson.  No one will ever know how appreciative my sister and I are of  everyone who sent messages, phone calls, facebook posts, and left voicemail messages.  By   6 p.m. on Wednesday,  we were exhausted, emotional and sad.  We learned of the loss of so many wonderful people in Harrisburg and our heart was broken for their families. Thursday morning I woke and headed to the store to find roofers, and a crew from Mike Reed Construction already working.   I felt so blessed to know that all of them were so dedicated to getting the store in the dry.   The adjuster showed up at 8 a.m. as he said he would and we took a quick tour of the place.  He met with Mike and then took the time to explain the policy to me and time to explain how the process would work.  My sister and I  felt a sense of relief when he and Mike said we would be looking at six weeks of downtime. We need a goal,  we need something to work towards,  and now we have it.   Day two was filled with hammering, sawing and several trips to Barnes  Lumber.  Everyone has been  so helpful during this process.  On my last trip to Barnes Lumber,  I ordered the roofing and things began to sink in..... we are making progress!!!  Luke O'Neal stopped by to visit with my sister and I to  discuss lighting and  paint colors! Day 3 began with a rush to get everything we could get done before the rain came.  Everyone hustled and did everything they could do before 1  pm.  The wind began to blow so hard that workers couldn't stay on the roof or ladders and the tornado warnings were in effect.   We survived Day 3 without any further damage. Our sweet neighbor Ms. Katina Eubanks has set up an office for us upstairs at her office and we can't thank her enough for her hospitality. Day 4 - I woke up bright and early Saturday morning to meet the roofers who planned to get as much done as possible.  My sister and I spent the day working with Miss Tina and Miss Jan packing up fixtures, and getting all  merchandise out of the store.  I dropped the drapery off at Foxes  Cleaners to see if they can get the fiberglass and glass shards out of the fabric.    Ms. Barbra Luce-Turner popped in and assisted us this afternoon.  We were so excited to see Laura Miller and her friend from school stop by and see us today.   Can't wait to work with Mrs.  Natalie Chang on the merchandising of the new store!!!  At 4 p.m.,  it was off to the FUMC to help serve  meals. I  haven't had the time to dedicate to the  church this week,  so I wanted to take the time and show my support to the community.  I was so overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from members of our community.  Car after car,  trailer after trailer,  people kept bringing personal products, water, cleaning supplies, blankets, clothes and baby items.  I couldn't believe what I saw.  The organization, the fulfillment of food orders,  the cooperation from people,  just amazed  me.   When I walked outside to help someone unload his truck,  I was shocked when he said he had driven seven hours to get here.  He was from the Wisconsin, Illinois border.  I was amazed,  just utterly amazed at  a man  who had driven seven hours with a truck full of food, water, and supplies to a community he knew nothing about.  He plans to stay here two or three days and help in the community.   While I was at the church,  I learned that another man had driven from Chicago after his daughter read about the disaster on the internet and he wanted to help.  He drove all the way down to Southern Illinois and walked in the kitchen at the church and ask - "What do you need?"  He told members of the team working in the kitchen that he had $1000 to spend and he wanted to help.  He spent $1000 of his own money to help people in Southern Illinois.  Again,  a man with no ties to our community.  That my friend is compassion for others. While I continue to blog about the journey of Dream Baskets,  I will continue to keep you posted on what's new, what's happening, and more specifically the Grand Re-Opening information!!!