Natalia Chi
On December 28th, Chicago business owner Deirdre Austin’s dreams were dashed.
The bitter cold burst pipes and flooded the brand-new Edgewater store she opened with her son. DMA Pothecary.
“I saw a small section of the wall two blocks down the street that my son had hand painted, and I could see that it wasn’t very pretty,” Austin explained of the flood. “I could see pieces of my gift set scattered on the ground. When the firefighters turned on the water, they just floated outside.”
A store has always been her goal, which she finally achieved in September, but faced a major setback a few months later.
She lost over $10,000 and is still working to replace damaged products, including electrical equipment, materials, and all natural soaps and lotions.
“We are in a very critical situation to recover the funds and be able to resume operations,” Austin said.
She hopes to resume by the end of the month. This is a testament to her resilience, conviction and her desire to never give up on her dreams.
“I know something good is going to happen in the midst of the chaos. I don’t know what it is yet, but I know something good is about to happen,” Austin said. .
