Flood waters from a storm on Sept. 12 overtook a stretch of Roland Park businesses, destroying much of what was inside.
Two of the hardest hit businesses along Stony Run, known as Wyndhurst Station, were Majestic Cleaners and Lawndale Nail Salon.
When news of the catastrophic damage spread, customers and neighbors refused to allow the business owners to suffer through the aftermath alone.
Both businesses started GoFundMe campaigns, Majestic Cleaners’ by Andrew Kim, relative of Kee Kim who owns the business of 25 years; and Lawndale Nail Salon’s by Adina Amith, a community member wanting to help out the owner and employees of the salon.
Kee Kim couldn’t get into his own store because of the flooding. The water had risen to four feet in front of the shop and to over six feet in the lower level of his shop. The glass to his store’s front door had shattered from the pressure. He’s originally from South Korea and employs 10 people. The GoFundMe for his business has raised over $35,000 of the original $10,000 goal to help them resume operations as quickly as possible.
“Thank you so much to everyone for all of your support through this difficult time,” read a Sept. 15 update from Andrew Kim, the owner’s relative. “We could not have imagined how much our friends, family, and community would come together to help us so fast; we appreciate it greatly. The funds will be used to help pay for things that insurance could not cover, such as employee pay and immediate sanitation needs.”
At Lawndale Nail Salon, the floor rose up from its foundation, and every piece of equipment in the salon was ruined. The owner, Miyang Lee (referred to as Mia in the GoFundMe campaign) rents the location, and most of the damage is not covered by insurance.
The community rallied around Mia as well, raising over $27,000 to help her and her employees who are now without income for the near future. Through Amith, Mia Lee expressed her gratitude on the GoFundMe site, and found solace in the visit of her son, daughter-in-law, and grandson from Korea.
There was even a planned birthday party for Mia’s grandson, which they had planned to hold at the salon, but had to be moved because of the flood.
“In an effort to thank people, she is moving forward with a birthday party for her grandson, Theo…. While it obviously cannot take place at Lawndale, a client has offered another venue,” read an update from Amith. Clients and neighbors were invited to come celebrate Theo’s birthday with the family over the weekend.
“Mia has found joy, even in the midst of loss, in the support of her Lawndale community,” wrote Amith.
If you’d like to contribute to the GoFundMe campaigns for these businesses, you can do so below.
