Fundraiser Aims To Repair Red Barn Market After Recent Break-In

PUYALLUP, WA — A young business owner is counting on his community's support as he tries to recover from a recent break-in at his fledgling store.

As owner Dennis Kupchenko explains, he was just 19 in 2019 when he bought the Red Barn Market & Nursery in South Hill. In the years since, he's put his heart and soul into the store, but a recent incident has undone a lot of his hard work: a break-in attack that tore up much of the store.

According to Kupchenko, the perpetrator, a drunken teenager, damaged the store, destroyed the cash register, and flipped over and smashed several of the vendor booths he had set up for other local businesses.

"The last four years I have put everything I have into building and growing this local small business in the South Hill community," Kupchenko said.

The suspect was arrested shortly afterwards, but could not be detained because of COVID-19 restrictions. In the meanwhile, Kupchenko is calling on his community for support as he tries to put his store back in order.

"We are asking for your help to reimburse all of the local small vendors and help fix the damage caused by the vandalism," Kupchenko said. "Being a seasonal small business our funds are limited your help is greatly appreciated."

After posting his plea to GoFundMe, Kupchenko has received an outpouring of support, raising over $5,000 from more than 100 donors in just the first few hours.

>> See Kupchenko's fundraiser on GoFundMe.

Editor's Note: Patch is a GoFundMe promotional partner.