Help Erika the welder get back to welding

Help us get Erika a new welder and tools! She lost her shop in the huge fire Friday night.

Erika Koivunen and her husband Aaron Howard had a shop at 1804 S. Park St. for nearly 15 years. Around the Madison area, you'll see a lot of their incredible work as individuals and as a team, including the Wily St. tree, the Barriques metalwork around town, and much of the metalwork at the Madison Children's Museum. Sadly, Aaron passed away 18 months ago. Erika had recently started going back to their magical shop - a place of community, creativity, passion, and hard work. A place where a lot of their art in progress and heavy welding and blacksmithing tools lived. On Friday night, a fire started near her shop, possibly from lightning, huge winds roared preventing the firefighters from halting the 3-alarm fire. The shop is gone, whether or not insurance will pay something or anything, or just call this "an act of god" will take a long time to determine.

Please donate if you want to help, I'll get the funds to Erika.

A note of thanks to all who have already donated - we are so thankful for this support. Given the evaluation of damage and news coverage, we are adjusting the goal as the community able to support this fundraiser is broader now.