Asbury Park Art Gallery Found 'Guardian Angel' After Sandy

An Asbury Park art gallery, Parlor Gallery, found a way to survive after Superstorm Sandy, and it was a story that could have been straight out of "It's a Wonderful Life."

The gallery had minimal physical storm damage but its income all but dried up after the storm; foot traffic to the area stopped, vacation people weren't coming around, and it simply could not hold on any longer.

Then everything changed after a neighbor dropped a flyer on the gallery's doorstep for a community-based loan through New Jersey Community Capital's Rebuild NJ program. Now the gallery is thriving.

So, although Parlor Gallery was reluctant to ask for funding when so many others were in worse shape, the establishment did anyway.

The gallery got a $25,000 loan for operating expenses through Rebuild NJ. With it came a ton of free business advice from Joe Palazzolo, the Lending Team Leader at New Jersey Community Capital.

"Parlor Gallery is a going business in Asbury Park, and is committed to the community," said a spokesperson. "Their gross sales are five times what they were when the storm hit."

Rebuild NJ photos