Support Second Gear's Recovery and Staff

To our most wonderful and indomitable WNC home and to all who care for Second Gear as we do...

Our team counts itself safe, but completely devastated. Our beloved store located inside 99 Riverside Dr in Asheville's River Arts District was utterly and completely destroyed during the horrific and historical flooding of Hurricane Helene -- along side countless other businesses, homes, livelihoods and of course lives lost across much of Western North Carolina and beyond.

The scar left across our hills is like nothing this area has ever experienced, yet despite the pain and anguish at its severity, our community and many outside of it, have rallied to hold and heal like nothing else we have witnessed.

Western North Carolina will heal and grow more brightly than ever before. Where destruction lies now, will one day again grow flowers. We are MOUNTAIN STRONG, we are fearless and indomitable, stubborn and overflowing with breathtaking generosity. We are a force greater than the water that tried washing us away -- our roots only dig in deeper, despite the destruction around us. Recovery is now the plan, and for so many, it will be a harder fight than the storm itself.

That is the crossroads of which we now stand...SECOND GEAR NEEDS YOUR HELP TO FIND A PATH OUT OF THE STORM.

RECOVERY + SUPPORT FOR STAFF is what we need most right now. There is no clean-up to our building, it's gone, but our people are still here, and we need to find our way through this washed out trail -- especially if we are to have the opportunity to return and serve of community once more, which is what we strive for, but only if we are able to weather these next few months. There is no trail map for all this, only a compass of determination to take care of our community and be a part of her recovery and hopefully one day rebuild to serve our neighbors once more.

For the many we have served in our community forge through the wilderness these last 20 years, we humbly ask for your help in making safe our way down this washed out trail. Your assistance will make the very difference to Second Gear's survival.

Every dime of your donated funds will go towards the recovery and possible renewal of our beloved business and most importantly, the continued survival of our team -- the amazing men and women who are more our business than the building we resided in. If ever you have visited Second Gear, your positive experience was every once due to their overwhelming passion for the outdoors and their infectious drive to help others connect to it. Help us, help them if you are able.

Help us survive so our roots can shift upright and dig even deeper, so we have the chance to grow back stronger than before. Help our team and our business find a path forward so we can continue to lift up and support our larger community for 20 more years to come. Its a hard ask after so much suffering in our community, but we have no other option available at this moment than to ask humbly for this help from our Second Gear community.

Thank you WNC + beyond for all your support throughout the years, and especially now with all your messages of well wishes. We are overwhelmed with your love and know you hold Second Gear in your hearts as much as our team does. We miss seeing you all and look forward to hopefully being together again.

Here's to finding each other safe and sound on the other side of the storm and beyond...

Yours in service, forever and always,

-- The Second Gear Team --