Following the tragic explosion on Second Avenue in the East Village, destroyed fries-only restaurant Pommes Frites, seeks to reopen with your help. At first, they resisted requests for donations, stating that the victims should come first. But fans insisted, and Pommes Frites acknowledged that with individual sales that don’t usually go above $7, the shop lacks a large cash surplus to begin again. They hope to reopen in the East Village, and they’re crowdsourcing funds using Square Cash. On Thursday, they announced on their website and Facebook page quite simply:

On March 25th, 2015, Pommes Frites was destroyed by a massive explosion in a neighboring building. We are beyond grateful that our customers and staff were not physically harmed. We are devastated and deeply mourn the loss of others. Pommes Frites is humbled by the outpouring of support from our devoted customers. We are buoyed by your comments and offers of assistance after the devastating explosion that rocked our world and brought our shop down. Asking for help is not easy for us. We have been inundated with requests as to how we can get our doors open once again. Our steadfast staff, some of who experienced the explosion, want to get back to work. Your contributions will be used to help us to rebuild and find a new home for Pommes Frites. cash.me/$pommesfrites Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Omer Shorshi, Suzanne Levinson and the Pommes Frites Team

Square Cash doesn’t show the total amount raised or show set goals for fundraisers, but owner Omer Shorshi told The Huffington Post on Friday that just under $1,000 came in on the first day. By Friday, Eater, Gothamist and the Real Deal had also published about the fundraiser, and we hope our article here will continue the momentum, supporting one of our favorite things about New York City: stores that sell only one thing. Donate to Pommes Frites here.

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