Help Altamont Vintage Employees and Dealers Recover

We write this letter to you with immense sadness and grief for our town and sorrow for our Altamont Vintage family. Our community has been changed forever by the impacts of Hurricane Helene. We are overcome by the devastation we've seen in our own stores, neighborhoods, and the larger Western North Carolina region.

Because of our locations along the Swannanoa River, which crested at over 26 feet during the height of the flooding, the destruction to our 3 total stores is catastrophic. It is now clear that we will never be able to open these doors again.

This fund is intended to support our 13 employees who will be without work for the foreseeable future. We also hope to disperse this money among the nearly 200 antique dealers, many of whom rely significantly on sales through our store as their primary source of income. Owners will not take any portion of the money raised here.

For our employees - Tina, Lucy, Beau, Emmy, Connie, Lisa, Michael, Diana, Sarah, Sabrina, Frank, Wes and Bonnie - our goal is to help offset the cost of living for one month, with $1,400 for full-time employees and $700 for part time employees.

With the remaining funds we raise, we intend to refund our vendors for their September and October rents, if we can raise enough. This cannot cover the financial and emotional losses, but it can help recuperate the funds they put into their booths and businesses within Altamont Vintage.

We hope to one day overcome and open our doors to our inviting and loving family, provide jobs back to the community, and continue our livelihood. Our stores are a safe haven to many, and we have struggled immensely coping with this loss.

Thank you for your support over the years and now as we deal with this unprecedented natural disaster. We love and respect you all. Those of you who have reached out, either personally or online, to say “We’re thinking of you”, or “What can we do to help?” - it is so heartwarming to know that we touched your lives beyond “business-customer”. We built community in our stores, and we cultivated relationships with some that will be lifelong friendships.

Love, The Altamont Vintage Family of our three stores:

Altamont Vintage, Altamont Vintage Annex, and Altamont East River.