The community in Drumheller, Calgary is coming together to help Laura Gaucher, a local business owner, after someone broke into her van and stole her belongings earlier this month.

Laura turned her passion for vintage fashion into a career and sells western vintage, second-hand clothing, accessories, and housewares through her store, Good Gals Vintage. The theft from her van is a tough setback for her business, as many of her personal and irreplaceable items were stolen, including over 20 belts and 15 cowboy hats. She was relying on the stolen items for her styling photoshoot work and pop-up shops, especially with the Calgary Stampede around the corner, her biggest earning time of the year. She estimates the stolen items were worth between $3,000 and $5,000.

After hearing about Laura’s loss, Alberta’s small business, arts, and music community is coming together to support her. Andrew Bullied, owner of Annex Ales brewery in Calgary, started a donation drive to help Laura rebuild her collection before the busy Calgary Stampede. He’s inviting people to stop by for a drink and donate any vintage western wear they can spare. Musician Lauren Gillis, who became friends with Laura while touring and doing markets together, says the local music and vintage scene is like a family, and in tough times, they look out for each other.

There is hope that some of the precious lost items will turn up at local pawn shops while Laura is stocking up and preparing for the summer season. She is grateful to the community for their support, which has helped turn things around within a short span of time.

Source: Skylar Peters, Global News