Community Rallies Behind Mount Vernon Antique Center After Fire

MOUNT VERNON, VA—After a massive fire destroyed the Mount Vernon Antique Center on Christmas, community members are coming together to help rebuild.

One of the antique dealers Lucia Martinez has started a GoFundMe page to rebuild the Richmond Highway antique mall. She described it as "the only true antique center" in the Mount Vernon area and included computer repair shop that lower-income families could afford.

"This business was the only source of income for the Nasafi family who owned the building, [and] a second Home to the dealers that occupied it, and the customers that frequented it, from local and military families to interior designers and real estate stagers," Martinez wrote.

She hopes to raise $300,000 to help the business find a new location and to support the dealers whose livelihoods depended on their businesses. She says many of the dealers are elderly people surviving on pensions, and some may not have have insurance covering the goods lost in the fire.

"I know that things of value were in there, and I'm certain a lot of the dealers have lost their livelihood, which is really one of the worst parts," customer Bob Murray told NBC Washington.

Fellow Richmond Highway antique store Evolution Home offered support to the devastated business in a Facebook statement. "Our community has lost a fantastic source of antique and vintage home furnishings. We here at Evolution Home are here for our friends in any way we can be during this difficult time," reads the statement.

The 20,000-square foot Mount Vernon Antique Center was a hidden treasure for budget shoppers in the DC area with more than 30 dealers. It featured everything from unusual finds to charming antique furniture, and shoppers could see products up for grabs as posted daily on its Facebook page.

The building, which had been there for over 50 years, had already begun collapsing when firefighters arrived to the Richmond Highway business Christmas night, and it took hours to put out the blaze. The shop had been closed Christmas Day. No injuries have been reported.

There is no word yet on the cause of the fire.

"It's a shame after Christmas. No one needs this. It's terrible," dealer Sergei Scicca told NBC Washington.

Patch has reached out to the antique center's owners and will update this story when we hear back.

Images via Todd Bell, A. Monet Photography