She had just recently left the store when Cowboys and Angels Western Boutique owner Joanne Nicks received word of a fire at her store on Sept. 20.
Arriving firefighters found the business filled with thick black smoke. Upon entry they discovered that the fire was mostly confined to the rear upper ceiling area of the store. Quick action stopped the spread of the flames, but the heavy black smoke destroyed most of the store’s merchandise.
Even before the smoke had cleared, friends and local business owners set up a GoFundMe site in her name, allowing her to continue as a business dedicated to selling fine leather goods, jewelry and other western accessories.
On Thursday, Dec. 19, a little less than three months after the fire, Nicks hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the store’s reopening in its new location on South Green Street.
Her experience proves how resilience and help from fellow business owners allowed Cowboys and Angels to reopen before the end of the holiday shopping season.