KENT, Wash. — Catastrophe strikes a Kent bookstore, flooding from busted pipes soaked more than 1,000 novels.
“I got water coming out of the ceiling and into my store… destroying everything,” Wayne Curran described.
He’s owned Page Turner Books for about 18 years. His location off Meeker Street has been home for the last seven.
Within a matter of minutes, years of hard work went down the drain.
“There was just water pouring out of the front ceiling, just everywhere. It was coming down through the lights, it was coming down through the ceiling itself,” he continued. “It was just pouring like it was raining inside.”
It started when he heard a loud bang on Sunday. Busted pipes from overheard then flooded the front area of the bookstore.
The building is now ruined, but the biggest loss is the more than 1,000 books destroyed by the downpour.
Some of them are irreplaceable.
“So, this book comes from a piece of history and a collection,” Curran explained. “And now it’s pretty much been mangled by the water damage.”
Books dating back to the early 1800s lost in minutes. Each section holds thousands of stories, but one very special place in their hearts.
“It’s so sad because they have been here for almost 200 years and this is how they had to go -- in a flood,” said Assistant Manager Kayla Clenney.
She has dedicated more than 4 years to Page Turner Books.
“The first few days I thought, maybe this was going to be it,” she continued. “I don’t know what we’re going to do at this point,” Clenney said.
Page by page, Curran says they’re turning to the next chapter.
“This isn’t the first time we’ve had to deal with something that’s devastating,” she said. “We’ll start new tomorrow, and we’ll make it happen. It’s just, you know, whatever happens, happens. Nothing else really matters.”
After being at the Meeker Street location for 7 years, Page Turner Books will be moving just a few blocks away. They’re nervous about the move but say the community has had their back through it all.
If you’d like to help with their efforts, click here for the GoFundMe.
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