A quirky bar destroyed by Hurricane Helen in September is being given a new lease of life with the help of thousands of donations from around the world.
Nearly $200,000 was poured into GoFundMe campaign To help rebuild DayTrip, an LGBTQ+ hangout in Asheville, North Carolina.
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Brandon Davis and his husband Davey opened the bar and coffee shop weeks before Hurricane Helen hit the Southeast Coast. At least 242 people died in the storm and its aftermath. The amount of damages is estimated at approximately $47.5 billion.
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The couple had planned to host LGBTQ+ fundraisers, burlesque shows, dog adoptions and other community events in the colorful space. After a storm hit on September 26th, they returned to find it in ruins.
It was like “a scene from an end-of-the-world movie,” Davis said. NBC News.
He said the building was flooded with 23 feet of water up to the second floor.
“It didn’t seem real,” he continued. “It felt like the building had been lifted, rotated, shaken, and then fell back down again.”
“We’re in the mountains 2,000 feet above sea level, 300 miles from the coast, so we’ve never experienced a hurricane like this before,” Davis added.
Now, there is hope for this couple and Asheville’s queer community. A GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign started by two friends has raised more than $193,000 to date to rebuild DayTrip.
“They spent countless months and a lot of blood, sweat and tears renovating this space and fulfilling their dream of creating a cozy, quirky place for friends and neighbors to come and feel welcome. It happened,” Meredith Sims wrote in an online appeal. “It was just a sweet moment there.”
The couple was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support.
“Thousands of queer people from all over the world have donated. There are no words to describe how grateful we are,” Davis said.
Davis said the money will be used to rebuild Day Trip, compensate employees who lost wages due to the hurricane, and donate to local volunteer efforts.
Helping the Asheville community rebuild their lives is a top priority before we begin rebuilding Day Trip in the spring.
“Despite the loss of my livelihood and financial security, I feel very lucky to be alive,” Davis said. “So many people have lost their homes, parents, children, spouses.”
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