08/19/2026
267 Days Since the Fire — A Little Update 🤍
(I am in a temporary space - working)
It has been 267 days since the fire, and I wanted to give a little update—not because I have all the answers, but because I know so many people have been wondering where things stand.
First, I want to clear up something that continues to come up.
The fire was caused by work being performed on the building.
It was not electrical.
It was not the HVAC system.
It was not a curling iron, wax pot, or something that someone at the salon accidentally left on.
A company had been contracted to perform work on the building, and the fire resulted from that work.
I didn't start the fire. My business did not cause the fire. And we were not responsible for the damage it caused.
Unfortunately, knowing who was responsible doesn't make the aftermath simple.
So… what about insurance?
This is probably the biggest misconception I encounter.
We have not received a financial settlement at this time.
What we have received is more than $70,000 in bills related to the contents of the business alone—not the building itself.
Think about what goes into building a business over more than 10 years.
Every tool. Every product. Every piece of equipment. Furniture. Supplies. Inventory. The things you don't even think about because you slowly accumulate them year after year.
Everything had to be removed, documented, cleaned, evaluated to determine what was and wasn't salvageable, stored, and eventually the salvageable items have to be returned. There are cleaning expenses, labor, storage, transportation and so much more involved in that process.
Then there is the loss of income.
I had to turn over three years of tax returns and banking records to a forensic accountant so they could determine whether the business has experienced a financial loss.
And this is one of those moments when I'm incredibly thankful for the way I have always operated my business.
I've told clients for years, “I don't care if you pay cash, card or check.” Because every penny—including tips—gets deposited and accounted for. Now those records are part of proving what the business actually produced before the fire.
So when are we reopening?
I genuinely don't know.
And that's probably the hardest answer for me to keep giving.
I don't know exactly what inventory and equipment will be coming back.
I don't know what will ultimately be considered unsalvageable.
I don't know what we will need to replace.
I don't know what those replacements are going to cost.
And I can't make financial decisions based on the possibility that someday a check may arrive.
People have suggested starting a GoFundMe, and I genuinely appreciate the heart behind that suggestion. But that's just not what I want to do.
I would rather work for it.
I don't want a handout. I want the opportunity to earn it.
The reality is that I don't have a giant savings account sitting there waiting to rebuild the business. The money I had saved has been used over these last 267 days to continue paying bills and trying to keep a business alive that hasn't been able to operate the way it once did.
I can't sit still waiting for insurance.
I can't build my future around money I may or may not receive.
So I'm working.
I'm figuring it out.
I'm making decisions with what I have in front of me today.
And I'm trying to determine what Cashmere is supposed to look like on the other side of this.
Because more than anything, I just want my business back.
Not because I miss owning a salon.
I miss what it was for people.
I miss creating a place where someone could walk through the door, sit down, breathe for a minute, laugh, talk, be taken care of and just let life go for a little while.
That's what I want back.
Will it look exactly like it did before November 24th?
I honestly don't know anymore.
Maybe that's part of what I'm still figuring out.
So when you ask me, “Are you open yet?” “When are you reopening?” “What's happening with the salon?” please understand that I know those questions usually come from a place of love and excitement.
But right now, I don't have an answer.
And after 267 days, sometimes answering that question is harder than you probably realize.
I'm tired.
I'm frustrated.
I'm disappointed.
And I'm also still working, still showing up, and still trying to figure out what comes next.
So for now, please give me a little grace while I do that.
When I have something to announce, I promise you won't have to ask.
You'll know. 🤍
