The Beginning Was the End
Timeline
March 1st, 2020 - I relocate to 86 Partition St. and opened.
March 19th, 2020 - I, and all other business owners large and small, are forced to close due to COVID and have no revenue for 3 months. 4 months for me because I had to wait for RUPCO to finish repairs and was essentially starting from scratch; I had to order fixtures, a new point of sale and ipad to go with it, tissue paper, paper bags, merchandise to replace merchandise that was irreplaceable, a steamer; - it would be easier for me to list what survived than what didn't - wait for it to arrive, set everything up, etc. due to:
June 1st, 2020 - I walked into my store completed flooded and the above mentioned destroyed
April 16th, 2021 - See June 1st, 2020. A second catastrophic flood. At least this time my merchandise didn't take a bath in a sauna, but it took a bath nonetheless.
Total number of months: 13
Total number of floods: 2
Total amount of damages: $130,000+
Total retribution: $0
Out of those months, the total number Meraki was open: 9
Due to the fact that both floods were caused by RUPCO and its employees, insurance would not cover damages. And because of the amount in damages I would have been uninsurable/my premiums would have been unaffordable. I took out loans, maxed out credit cards, bankrupted myself financially, physically, emotionally and psychologically, but continued to work 18 hour days to to keep my business open.
May 2022: RUPCO sends a rent demand for $20,500. I replied immediately, reiterating that there were not one, but two catastrophic floods that occurred during a pandemic, that RUPCO was at fault, that I had spoken to the COO of the company (who is now completely ignoring me; and because I did not want to deal with litigation or “harm a nonprofit” I conceded, and instead of bringing a lawsuit against RUPCO, didn’t pay rent. There was also no possible way for me to do so. I had to buy all new inventory, continue to pay employees — something that I was unable to do towards the end which is something that keeps me awake every night — utilities, and the many many other expenses that come with running a small business. Does RUPCO think that I’m an independently wealthy woman who can just dip into a bank account with millions of dollars and continue to throw good money after bad? I heard nothing about it again. Not a single phone call or email.
Until:
August 2023: RUPCO sends another rent demand, this time for $44,000. I repeat steps taken in May of 2022.
November 21st, 2023: I am ordered to vacate the premises by December 31st with a $47,000 judgement against me. Part of which included months that I was closed due to COVID, I had spoken to the person I worked with from the beginning and he told me, “Don’t worry about it. We will reconvene when all of this passes, just stay safe.” Part of which I was closed due to repairs. 5 months in total.
