Black Spring Books in Brooklyn, N.Y., has turned to crowdfunding to help recover from a devastating flood on July 18, the Brooklyn Paper reported.
Launched July 19 with a goal of $22,000, the GoFundMe campaign has already raised $20,500. Money raised will go toward helping store owner Simona Blat repair damage, replace destroyed inventory, and fortify against future flooding.
On July 18, a torrential storm struck New York City that caused widespread flooding and overloaded the sewage system, resulting in approximately three feet of sewage water filling the bookstore's basement. It took days to drain and empty the basement, which had been the shop's storeroom, and Blat and her boyfriend had to wear hazmat suits and N95 masks for the cleanup.
Blat, who first opened the new and used bookstore in April 2021, has yet to reopen Black Spring Books following the flood. She told the Brooklyn Paper that her immediate goal is getting the doors open again.
"I still don't really know quite how to move forward, and I still feel extremely overwhelmed," she said. "But I feel like so many people want this place to continue to exist, and that it's meaningful to them, and that it's meaningful to the state of the world right now."