KENT, Wash. — Staff at the only independent bookstore in Kent are packing up what's left of its bookstore after frozen pipes burst and caused devastating flooding.
"I think I felt every single human emotion that is possible within this last week, so I'm just happy we're going to be moving forward," said Kayla Clenney, assistant manager of Page Turner Books.
It's a tough story to share for the staff at "Page Turner Books."
"I got water coming out of the ceiling into my store destroying everything," said Wayne Curran the owner of the store, who recorded a video on Jan. 14, of what happens when a frozen pipe burst in a 112-year-old building.
"It was chaos,” Clenney said. “When I got here, the water was still pouring, just everyone rushing with the books, trying to get as much to safety as they can."
She estimates more than $8,000 worth of books and other products were destroyed.
"As you can see a hardback is not supposed to do this,” Clenney said. “So, it's just been a lot for sure, because so many of these books have been around for such a long time."
However, what was once a store flooded with water is now a business overflowing with support from the community.
The community donated more than $12,000 to its GoFundMe page to help the business start a new chapter in another location in Kent. Staff said this move should happen in the coming weeks.
"We wouldn't be able to move without you," Clenney said. "We wouldn't be here without you. We wouldn't be able to continue after this, without you either, so thank you. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts."