Two Black Eastern Market Business Owners Continue to Raise Funds After Building Collapse

Owners of two iconic Detroit businesses are working hard to recover after the building their businesses occupied suddenly collapsed with people inside more than a week ago.

Armond Rashad, owner of Jabs Gym Eastern Market and Tommey Walker, owner of Detroit Vs. Everybody are have been accessing what this means for their businesses and how they’re trying to recover from the catastrophic loss.

The affected building, known as the Del Bene building at 2501 Russell St., suffered a collapse of its brick facade, causing damage to the interior and exterior parts of the building, while leaving a gapping who through the wall of the upper floors. The incident creating what sounded like an explosion to shoppers and pedestrians nearby.

The City of Detroit deemed the building such a hazardous site that it prohibited anyone from entering the establishment, fearing more collapse of the structure and even ordering an emergency demolition. However, according in the two Black and influential entrepreneurs, their feedback is the mayor’s office has “changed its tune on demolition to fixing.”

“The people of the city have really been coming through for us,” said Walker. “We have a GoFundMe and just with the onslaught of support,” on social media, he adds. As far as “City of Detroit government, I would look forward to them, if not doing what needs to be done to fix the building, not just for us for the history of that space, but do whatever it takes to help us get our businesses back to what they were in that space or help us get replaced.”

The work to rebuild will be complex as they work will with city officials on next, in addition to the significant cost that would amount to the businesses having to take on this unexpected disruption.

“Since out businesses were built back in 2015, if I were to build and go somewhere else, now I have to rebuild with 2023 prices,” said Rashad. “Then there’s the onslaught of COVID where many businesses like mine went away doing the time, so we would possibly have to take on new debt that we didn’t have before.”

The focus now turns to structural engineers, who will work to evaluate the building’s integrity and ensure that it can be safely stabilized and rehabilitated.

Meanwhile, community support has been overwhelming both on social media and in financial support as Harris has created a GoFundMe account, is in a “battle” with its insurance company doesn’t know yet when or if the cost will be covered.

Harris set up a $150,000 goal, and so far has generated 119 donations totally $10,915.