General News
14 October, 2024
Despite devastating fire damage, Exquisit Fashion will rebuild
Exquisit will will rebuild after fire, smoke and water damage to stock
The owner of Exquisit Fashion, Shana Miatke and her staff, should have been celebrating an important milestone on Monday, October 14 but due to a devastating fire less than a week ago that destroyed one Horsham business and damaged others, it was anything but.
Exquisite Fashion suffered extensive damage during the fire that destroyed Farmhouse Cafe' on Wednesday October 9 and her business remains closed indefinitely.
But even though the immediate future is uncertain she said she will rebuild and continue to provide a service to her customers.
Ms Miatke has owned Exquisit Fashion for over a decade and today would have been its twelfth anniversary but instead of celebrating she is busy letting her customers and the wider community know how much she has appreciated the outpouring of support from the community since the devastating fire that closed her business.
"Today marks a significant milestone for Exquisit, as we celebrate 12 years in business," she said.
"However, this anniversary comes amidst difficult circumstances following the devastating fire that destroyed our neighbouring business, the Farmhouse Cafe'.
"Unfortunately, the fire also severely impacted our store, with the roof structure sustaining significant damage and all of our products being damaged by smoke, water, and fire.
"From the front window the store does not paint a true picture of what remains, the smell and devastation is evident as you enter," she said.
"Our staff is grappling with this loss, and we share in their distress as we navigate this challenging time."
Exquisit Fashion staff took the opportunity today to say thank you to the community for the overwhelming support they have received as well.
While feeling a great sense of loss they said they were looking forward to returning to the work they love and continue to serve their many regular customers.
Ms Miatke said, "Sadly, we won't be able to fully restock our inventory until closer to Christmas, as many of our products cannot be replaced until then."
She went on to say her thoughts were with the other businesses affected by the fire and thank the emergency services.
"We are deeply saddened by the loss and interruption for our retail neighbours and wish them all the best in the recovery process.
"We are incredibly thankful for the quick response from emergency services and for the outpouring of support from our community.
"Despite this setback, we remain committed to rebuilding and continuing to serve our loyal customers with the quality and style they've come to expect from Exquisit Fashion.
"Thank you for your patience and support as we work towards recovery," she said.
There have been many kindnesses, Ms Miatke' mother Di Bell, who works with her daughter in Exquisite said, "I went to have lunch at a cafe' earlier today and as I sat down, people at the next table just said, come and sit with us..
"The support has been amazing."
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