Pennsauken, NJ. – There is nothing worse than entering your store after it has been ravaged by Mother Nature. You make your best storm preparations and cross your fingers only to return and find your hard work was all for naught. The business you worked for years to build comes to a crashing halt. That is exactly what happened to Taboo Adult Store in South Carolina, one of the hardest hit areas by Hurricane Joaquin earlier this year.
According to the US Weather Service, In the United States, Hurricane Joaquin appears to have done its worst in South Carolina. More than 18 inches of rain in roughly 24 hours fell in the state, leading to severe flooding. Charleston got nearly one foot of rain breaking the city’s record for that day set in 1998. Three people died as a result of the hurricane, and hundreds of of homes and businesses flooded. Taboo Adult Retailers were part of the carnage left behind and reported to Williams they were temporarily closing due to a 4 foot storm surge that devastated the interior of their building and the majority of their inventory.
The Williams Trading management team immediately sprang into action. They helped Taboo create an itemized list of all products lost or destroyed from the hurricane. Williams reached out to each manufacture represented on this list and did the unthinkable – they asked each of them to donate replacement product to help Taboo, a veteran adult retailer with longstanding relationships in the industry. The response to support Taboo was overwhelmingly YES!
“I just couldn’t believe it,” says Larry, co-owner of Taboo. “I’ve never heard of businesses supporting each other like this. I can’t believe how generous our adult manufacturers are and can’t thank them enough for helping us reopen as quickly as possible. Rebuilding your business is stressful enough. Having the support of Williams Trading behind us, helping us to rebuild, is just an incredible lifeline.”
Over the weeks that followed, Williams began collecting the donated product on behalf of Taboo since they were unable to accept shipments. Blush, LELO, Doc Johnson, Lovehoney and Pipedream Products graciously replaced the items that were lost to Hurricane Joaquin.
“I want to thank our partners for answering the call and generously supporting one of our own that was devastated by Hurricane Joaquin,” Bob Pyne Jr., Williams Trading President & CEO. “Blush, LELO, Doc Johnson, Lovehoney and Pipedream deserve special recognition for their generosity and altruistic spirit. On behalf of everyone at Williams Trading, we thank you so much.”
