ROMULUS, Mich. (WXYZ) — A house fire destroyed an 11-year-old Taylor girl's bedroom and all of the crafting supplies she used to run a small business — and now her Downriver community is stepping up to help her rebuild.
River Lipkowski sells handmade creations at Polka Dots, a local shop in Romulus where she has spent countless hours making and displaying her work. When a fire broke out in her bedroom Saturday evening, she lost everything inside.
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"I started screaming my bedrooms on fire, my bedrooms on fire as loud as I could," River said.
The Lipkowski family believes the fire was electrical in nature. The fire department has not yet confirmed an official cause.
Her father, Al Lipkowski, described the extent of the damage.
"Her room is toast, you know. But there is a lot of fire damage and stuff like that like from smoke and then the water damage," Al Lipkowski said.
For River, the loss went beyond her bedroom. The fire wiped out every tool, material and supply she relied on to make and sell her handmade items.
"It's kind of weird because every once in a while, I get mad at my brother and I don't have something to do to get it off of my mind," River said.
Polka Dots is donating $500 to help River replace some of her lost supplies. The shop is also waiving its standard monthly percentage of vendor sales, ensuring every dollar River earns goes directly back to her. Store owner Jay Kuderik said the shop plans to create a dedicated display near the front register to drive customer support for River's products.
"Typically every month, we as a store, part of the operations is we take a percentage of their sales. We're not going to take a percentage of River's sales. We're going to give all that money directly back to her and we're going to make a display of all of her stuff by the front register, so that people want to come and directly support her," Kuderik said.
Kuderik said the outpouring of support reflects the character of the Romulus community.
"When something happens in the community, when somebody like Courtney and Alex who were born and raised in the community, we come together, we try to support and lift up each other as much as we can," Kuderik said.
After a post on Facebook from Polka Dots, the Lipkowski family said the community response has already begun pouring in. River's mother, Courtney Lipkowski, said the support has brought her comfort.
"It makes it easier, at least for me, to kind of know that my babies are not going to want for the things that were lost," Courtney Lipkowski said.
River said the support from people inside and outside the shop has meant everything to her.
"There are a bunch of people that I know who sell stuff in here and people that I don't know, but they know what kind of crafts I make and stuff like that and I'm just really happy," River said.
The family does not have insurance. Anyone looking to help River and her family can drop off monetary donations at Polka Dots to assist with rebuilding their home.
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