SUPERIOR, Colo. — One couple from Superior lost not only their home but also their business.
Jim Sullivan and Katie Moore operated their business, Filosophy Jewlery, out of their home in the Sagamore neighborhood. Their basement was filled from floor to ceiling with inventory.
Every winter, they would travel to Thailand and Indonesia to work with local artisans to create the handmade pieces of clothing and jewelry. They would then sell the goods at festivals in Colorado and across the country.
“This is the last piece of jewelry I had from my business right here,” said Moore, holding onto the necklace she was wearing. “I can’t believe that all that work and all that time - I can’t believe that this is all I have to show for it.”
Moore and Sullivan worked on the business together for 11 years. The biggest festival they were invited to set up a booth at was for Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Tennessee in 2021. The festival was canceled due to heavy winds and rain that waterlogged the area where it was planned to be held.
As a result, they had a large amount of inventory in their basement, amounting to roughly $150,000 at the time of the Marshall Fire. All of it was destroyed. Because the business was home-based, they were unable to insure the inventory under their policy. What’s destroyed is gone with no opportunity to recover the costs.
After the couple learned they lost everything, they are now re-evaluating what’s next.
On Monday, they had planned to drive to Florida where a friend had offered them a long-term housing solution. They learned Monday morning that there may be another opportunity for a housing solution in Lafayette. At this time, they are unsure if they will be leaving the state or not.
“Right now, we are just so open when everything is taken away,” said Moore. “You have no direction that you have to go in because there is nothing. We really can create something, anything, go in any direction that we want to go.”
They are assessing their options, as well as the future for their business that’s gone.
“I tend to be much more on the routine side of the spectrum. She’s much more on whichever way the wind is blowing,” said Sullivan. “We describe ourselves as, ‘I’m the guy holding the string and she’s the balloon. Having nothing, no job, no income, no place to live, no possessions, it’s oddly frightening but also very liberating at the same time.”
Sullivan and Moore are unsure they can rebuild the business back to what it was. At each festival, they would typically set up three booths. They had custom-made displays as well.
With ongoing supply chain issues, they don’t believe they could restore the business in time for the next festival cycle. In turn, they’re considering closing that chapter for good and starting a new business entirely.
“I’m excited to see what I can come up with, to see what I can create, to see what the universe provides, to see what doors open,” said Moore. “If you jump in the direction of the way that the thing that is in your heart, the doors open.”
“We’re optimistic that whatever comes of this is probably going to be better than what we had. We just have to figure out what that is,” said Sullivan.
If you would like to donate to their GoFundMe page, you can click here.
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