Giving back to Burlco farmers market that helped them

Jennifer and Colin Ryan never forgot the kindness of merchants at the Columbus Farmers Market in Burlington County when their young son was kicked by a horse and hospitalized for a severe head injury two years ago.

"We couldn't work, because we were at the Trauma Center and the bills were piling up," said Jennifer Ryan, 35, of Mount Holly. "They rallied behind us, set out donation jars, gave us extra money, and sent gifts.

"They were like our family," she said.

Now the Ryans are returning the favor after a Nov. 18 fire raged through the market's Building 4, destroying 10 businesses, at a time when the owners had recently added more inventory for the holiday season.

They started an online relief effort (http://www.gofundme.com/columbusmarketfire) Sunday, intended to raise $50,000 before Christmas. Eighteen people have already donated $1,000.

At the same time, the market is scheduled to reopen to the public Wednesday for the first time since the blaze, and bids are being sought from contractors to rebuild "bigger and better" than before, said the owners' attorney, Matthew McCrink.

Most of the 65 indoor merchants and none of the 1,500 outdoor merchants were affected by the four-alarm fire at the market on Route 206 in Springfield Township.

"We had a store there for 11 years and left in 2011," said Jennifer Ryan, the former owner of Typo Magazines & Paperbacks, who now operates Karmapants Photography with her husband. "Someone who bought it lost it in the fire.

"It's terrible for us to think about what happened," she said. "A lot of people asked what they could do to help."

The Ryans began the online relief effort as a way of helping the displaced merchants, much as they had been helped.

"Everybody can contribute," Jennifer Ryan said. "A lot of people think insurance will cover the losses.

"But [the merchants] are still sifting through everything," she said. The insurance "won't kick in by Thanksgiving or Christmas."

Ryan, who now specializes in wedding photography, said she "was in the same situation. I know how it is," she added. "I wanted to pay it forward.

"These are all good friends of ours. I was taught to do unto others as you would have them do unto you - treat people as you'd like to be treated."

The funds will help the affected merchants pay their bills "and put food on the table for their families," she said. "A lot of them live day by day. We just want to give back to the people who need it."

The fire broke out about 2 p.m. Nov. 18 and was brought under control by 3:45 p.m. The market was not open at the time.

The cause of the blaze has not been determined by state fire investigators, but McCrink says they seem focused on the ceiling, where sparks were seen shortly before flames started spreading.

Marci Strauss, whose family owns the Wicker Emporium, had been at the market that day. "We sell home goods and have been there almost 36 years," she said. "I heard the first alarm."

The help of the Ryans and others in the fire's aftermath is greatly appreciated, Strauss said.

"It's very kind of them," she said. The Ryans "know what it's like to run a small business."

"It's not easy," she said. "The outpouring of support from customers, fellow merchants, and members of the community is heartwarming."

Though gone for a few years, the Ryans still regularly visit the market.

"We come to shop and see friends," said Colin Ryan, 39. Helping the affected merchants "seemed like the right thing to do."