KENSINGTON, Md. — A Kensington business is asking for the community's help in raising money to open their doors again after a fire ripped through the building last week.
On Jan. 2, Montgomery County firefighters responded to Gene's Costumes, located Connecticut Avenue, near Dupont Avenue, after a report of a building fire. The business had a fire in the basement, which was determined to be electrical in nature -- causing an estimated $100,000 in damage. No one was injured in the blaze.
In response to the fire, the costume shop announced that they are in need of financial help from the community.
"The primary damage was done in the basement where we store a large portion of our rental and retail inventory," the store stated on their website. "Cleaning and restoring these areas will be required."
In addition, the shop is temporarily closed due to the fire.
"It's a very big hit and it's costing me time right now," owner Ginger Ager told WUSA9. "It's costing me time right now. I should be pulling people's shows and starting to work on their inventory and starting to work on their costumes for their plays. I can't do that yet. I still have to be paying attention to this, but it's OK, it's all going to happen."
A GoFundMe campaign has been created to help the business with a goal of $50,000. As of Jan. 10, $12,307 has been collected for the cause.
On the site it has been stated that there was no insurance at the time of the fire to help recover from the fire damage.
The organizer of the campaign, Elisha Nixon, stated that Ginger Ager, the owner of the business, has been dedicating her heart and soul the community for over 30 years. Nixon continued by saying that she has regularly provided costumes to individuals, local high schools within the DMV, and theatrical groups too, which include the Kennedy Center.
"If you needed something, she most likely had it. And if she didn't, we all knew we could count on her to get it for us," Nixon said on GoFundMe. "That being said, it's our time to help provide Ginger with the support and love that she needs to bring back those amazing smiles to you."
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