MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - A storm moved through Murfreesboro on June 23 and caused serious damage to the Salvation Army Family Store on South Front Street.
High winds ripped off the top layer of the store's roof allowing rain water to fall inside the store for several hours.
The water damaged every piece of donated merchandise inside the store.
"100 percent of it was scraped. Everything was garbage, we hauled it out, we had a couple of dumpsters out there," said store manager Mark Sheridan.
The store is gutted, and the Salvation Army is waiting on the building's owner to work with his insurance company to make repairs. There is no time frame on when those repairs will be completed.
"We're trying to fill 10,000 square feet of a store," said Lt. Andy Seiler.
The Salvation Army is currently collecting gently used donations to fill the store when it reopens.
"It takes a year on average, and what we're trying to do it we're trying to maybe half that amount, so we can open as soon as possible once our store is fixed, and we're able to move in," Lt. Seiler said.
The gym at the Salvation Army Center on West Main Street is the current drop off location for donations in Murfreesboro. Crews are also picking up donations, including furniture.
A business owner has donated warehouse space in LaVergne where the organization is storing the larger donated items.
The Salvation Army is also collecting money while the store is closed. They are currently losing $20,000 a month in sales, but the store's employees are still working.
"Without that revenue coming in, we have to be able to rely on people to give us some money to keep paying those employees, and so we can keep our operations going at our main location, as well," Lt. Seiler explained.
The money generated by the family store is used to support programs, including the Salvation Army's shelter.
