Think! Graphic and Printing Solutions is hoping to raise $50,000 in the next 40 days to help the company bounce back from a fire that devastated its downtown Phoenix location last week, and fund a move to a neighboring downtown property.
The company launched a GoFundMe campaign Wednesday that raised close to $3,000 as of Sunday night. The owner intends to use the funds to move to a new location at the Flowers Beer & Wine building, next door to its previous location.
“Our goal is to try and raise money to cover the equipment, maintain employees, and get into a new space in the area,” said Think! Owner Randy Phillips.
The house that sheltered the company’s downtown base of operations — located just off Fifth and Roosevelt streets — caught fire early Wednesday morning. No one was in the building during the time of the incident, and although fire investigators are still looking into the matter, the owner said the incident was believed to be related to an electrical fault.
The fire left the building a shell of its former self, with most of the interior utterly gutted and the company’s equipment and inventory seriously damaged.
The company will temporarily reroute all of its business to its Tempe location, while using Flowers Beer & Wine as its downtown drop-off and pick-up location for customers who are unable to make the commute.
Phillips said while all options are being explored, the hope is that the business will be able to reopen in the Flowers building next door within the next two months. However, if finances don’t allow, the company will elect to go with a slower plan building business and budget until it can afford to reopen in Phoenix.
Prior to the fire, Phillips said the company was already planning to relocate into the renovated Flowers building to create a more modern, creative and community-orientated space, and the additional funds will still be used to pursue that endeavor.
He said the plan for the new location is to be an “incubator space” where people can come and work in a creative environment, with easy access to printing and design assistance.
The vision for the new building really aligns with the identity that the company has built downtown over the past eight years, as a fixture of the downtown arts community and First Fridays.
“They’ve been a longtime friend, partner and supporter of other businesses in the community and have been a real mainstay both creatively and by supplying support through their business,” said Greg Esser, artist and co-founder of the Roosevelt Row Community Development Corporation.
Esser anticipates that people are going to be eager to lend assistance, adding that one of the things that sets the Roosevelt community apart is that businesses strive for communal success.
Communications Director for Local First Arizona Erica Fetherston said she has gotten the impression people in the community are very perceptive to the company’s plight, and that she has seen a lot of sharing on social media.
According to Phillips the community has been overwhelmingly supportive.
“More than anything, people have been very positive,” said Phillips. “It’s not like, “Oh yeah, the business is done’, but more of a, ‘We’re going to win this race together.’”
Aside from the GoFundMe campaign, Phillips said the company intends to do a few additional fundraisers including one at First Friday and one with a limited edition “Think Phoenix” t-shirt.
Contact the reporter at Charles.T.Clark@asu.edu.
