Business owner fills gym with donations for West Ashley fire victims

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Kim Wood took a shot in the dark and sat outside of the Citadel Mall the night of the Palm Apartments fire in West Ashley.

The early morning fire alarms and sirens Feb. 7 awoke the lifelong West Ashley resident who lived near the Orange Grove Avenue apartments. She felt helpless as members of her community, more than 100 residents lost their homes.

But she prayed for God to give her a hand.

“When I watched the news later on, it just broke my heart,” she said. “This is my home. I grew up here.”

The owner of downtown’s Charms of Charleston tours for the past four years, Wood reached out to her friend Teresa Tidestrom, executive director of West Ashley Connects. Tidestrom is known around town as a person to call for help and runs the nonprofit community organization.

Wood told her Tidestrom that she would bring her tour bus to Citadel Mall to collect donations if West Ashley Connects could help get the word out.

“Silly me, I thought, ‘Oh I’ll just park and I can just do this by myself,” Wood said. “I parked and some friends of mine from high school offered to come sit with me, right between Target and (Medical University of South Carolina). I was thinking maybe I’ll have a bag for every seat.”

Halfway through the day, her bus was packed so deep she couldn’t see the back of her of the vehicle.

The sentiment blossomed as lifelong friend like Lisa Morelli from Carolina One created and passed out fliers. Charleston Florist owner Chip Johnson, West Ashley Tools & Rental owner John DeStefano, Software Solutions and Designs and Charleston Baptist Church have all collected donations. Charleston City Councilman Kevin Shealy also was a huge support, Wood said. People have even driven from Edisto and Columbia with donations.

DeStefano volunteered West Ashley Tools & Rental as drop-off location and said he received more donations than the space could handle in two days. He soon had to send people directly to the Citadel Mall.

The first night, Wood stored the donations at her house. By Wednesday, she had to pump the brakes.

That’s when Richard Davis, owner Trademark Properties which bought Citadel Mall, offered up the mall’s former Flip Gym space as a donation point. A Fort Johnson High School graduate, Davis is loyal to his hometown roots and supporting the community. 

“We got three different requests, but it was real specific,” he said. “So I just circled them in an email and said, ‘We’re all from here. We all grew up James Island and West Ashley. Let’s just do this together. Whatever brand you represent is great, and there’s room for everybody.’”

Each group had their different funnel system for donations, and while one group requested an indoor space and another an outdoor space, Davis suggested everyone use the former gym, making it easiest on donors and those seeking out the donations.

“To me, they’re an incredible team,” Davis said.

Wood estimates helping a couple dozen families as of Feb. 11, but getting in touch with victims has been a challenge.

“Some people lost absolutely everything,” Wood said. “I just handed one woman some pacifiers and she started crying. I had noticed she came in earlier for diapers, and she said they were for her son.”

As of Sunday, Wood felt there were more than enough clothes and shoes, blankets, baby items and toiletries. There are even piles of toys, school supplies, books and bikes. Whatever items don’t get picked up by families will then be donated to other local nonprofit organizations — not resale stores.

Wood doesn’t know how long she’ll be at the Citadel Mall, understanding that each day she is there she is giving up a day of business with Charleston Charms as the owner and sole employee. As of now there is no timeline, especially from Davis who said volunteers can have the space for as long as it takes to get everybody back on their feet.

Wood asked that anyone who wants to donate further please switch gears to gift cards.

“The big thing now here is the incidental expenses of when families are displaced, you can’t cook a meal. So you may have to eat out,” Wood said.

Cards to stores like Walmart or Target could also be helpful as the families build back their homes and need a variety of items.

“It’s just to see companies that have stepped up and brought food, both for volunteers and the families,” Wood said. “F3 Fitness group just out of nowhere showed up the other night. I had a bus full and alongside my bus it was stacked up the length of the bus, and I had no idea how to get it into the building. But they stayed with us and helped move it. And then stayed and helped to get it all in.”