Branfuhr Studios - Fire Recovery Fundraiser

My name is Justin Branfuhr. Owner of Branfuhr Studios. I specialize in Star Wars & Halo helmet replicas as well as other replica props inspired by science fiction, movies, video games and TV shows. Four years ago, I was able to quit my 9-5 job and pursue my art full time. The studio has continued to grow from a hobby, to a side-hustle, and from a side-hustle to where it is now my sole source of income for supporting my wife and 3 children. We are in the process of buying a new home with a workshop on the property and had temporarily moved all of our belongings into my temporary workshop until we could close on the house in September. On August 13th, 2021 there was a devastating fire in the temporary shop. The smoke, heat and water have ruined almost everything that the fire did not touch, this included all of my supplies, inventory, merchandise that was boxed up to ship, machinery, and more. The devastation was not just localized to the business, we lost family mementos, our children's toys, our furniture, kitchen supplies, Christmas decorations, my wife's wedding gown, our son's baby blanket, etc, making this an emotional loss as well as a physical one.

So far, from what we can tell, it will be almost a complete loss. Being only 4 weeks from closing on our new home/shop, all of our funds are tied up in the closing process. With our hands tied in so many areas we are still navigating where to begin picking up the pieces. Family and friends have been incredibly generous in helping us begin restoring items on the personal side. However, we began getting questions from people who were wanting to donate specifically to the business restoration process. GoFundMe seemed like the logical choice. We estimate, by what we have seen so far that it will take at least $20,000 just on the business side to repair or replace what has been lost. I lost over $10,000 worth of ready to ship merchandise alone. Please consider helping us financially begin to rebuild as we salvage what we can from this incredible loss.

Justin Branfuhr

Branfuhr Studios