Antique Business in Monroe Damaged by Car that Ran Into the Building

Just 10 weeks ago Michele Beaudry was opening up a new antique store in Monroe and looking forward to an official grand opening. But a car wreck on south Broad Street on June 3 has temporarily put those plans on hold. Instead, she has to spend her time digging through the wreckage of what once were beautiful antique pieces in hopes of putting together a list for insurances purposes

Beaudry had just brought in a new consignment of antiques and planned on going into her store, Atlanta Dumpster Divas, the following day to add them to her growing display. The store is closed on a Monday so nobody was there when a car ran off the road and into the antique store.

“That is the one thing we can be thankful for,” Beaudry said. “If it had been any other time we would have likely to be sitting just where the car came through.”

The authorities were busy with several incidents in Monroe at the time, including a patient on the loose from Clearview Regional Medical Center in a box truck that she stole from the hospital parking lot. Somehow it was reported that in another wreck at almost the same time, a car had run into Jeffcoat’s Barber Shop. Atlanta Dumpster Divas is in the same building as the barber shop and bore the brunt of the damage.

“Jeffcoat's barber shop was only affected by the electricity being cut off," said Florence “Flo” Beaudry, who is involved in the business with her daughter. “Our antique business was the business the vehicle crashed into. We are thankful that no one was hurt seriously. The car actually was stopped by the second brick wall where my daughter and I would have been sitting if it were a day that we were opened.”

According to Monroe Fire Department. Two children who also were in the vehicle were not injured. The building did have to be evacuated and the power cut off since gasoline leaked from the vehicle.

“We have only been opened 10 weeks,” Flo Beaudry said. “We are praying that repairs will be done quickly so that we can reopen within 4 - 6 weeks.”

The antique store owners are having to correct the record and make it known that the damage incurred was indeed to the antique store and not the barber shop.

“I’m glad that it wasn’t the barber shop, because they did have people in there and somebody would have definitely got hurt,” Michelle Beaudry said. “Thank God we were not here.”

The car, however, took out all the main components of Atlanta Dumpster Divas’ business, including the computer with all the records, the cash register – everything that is necessary for them to get back up and running – as well as much of the antique inventory.

Georgia State Patrol handled the accident and has not yet completed the investigation so it is unclear what the official finding is for the cause of the accident. Michele Beaudry said she was very grateful for the quick and compassionate way the Monroe Fire responded to accident and helped them secure the situation.

In the meantime, the family is busy going through bits and pieces of what once were valuable antiques, many with historical significance, to be able to give the insurance company an accurate accounting of what needs to be replaced.