by Maciej Wojcik
Most people associate May 8th with Victory Day. Two days ago, that changed forever for Marta Jędrzejewska when her boutique in Leicester specialising in women’s clothing was set on fire and destroyed.
Mrs Jędrzejewska has operated the Butik UK business at 74 Hinckley Road for 10 years but at 2.30am on Wednesday, three masked perpetrators approached the boutique.
First, they smashed the window, and then they started a fire inside. It is suspected the moment was deliberately chosen to cause maximum damage after the boutique took delivery of goods worth around £40,000 the day before.
Butik goods that were not burned were left unsuitable for sale due to smoke damage. The same applied to the shop furniture and hangers.
Fortunately, the fire did not spread to neighbouring houses, nor did it engulf the apartment above the shop, where – according to the owner – some girls were sleeping.
They noticed an orange glow outside the window and, after checking what was happening, safely left the apartment.
After the fire was extinguished in the shop, the damaged goods and equipment had to be disposed of, requiring removal to recycling or landfill sites.
In response to Mrs Jędrzejewska’s public appeal for help, many Poles from Leicester and the surrounding areas came forward.
They worked all day sorting through the items at the fire site and transporting them away. Some even hired vans at their own expense for this purpose alone.
She also received financial support, both on-site and through a specially launched fundraising campaign on GoFundMe.
Pizzeria La Santa.Pizza provided free pizza to everyone involved in cleaning up after the fire.
Mrs Jędrzejewska said she is devastated and now has to rebuild a business that took her 10 years to found.
In live broadcasts on Facebook, she alternates between thanking people for their help and cursing her fate, as well as the arsonists.
Mrs Jędrzejewska said she is very grateful to everyone who helped in any way, whether financially, by working, or even by sharing her posts and the link to the fundraiser.
Neither she, nor the police yet, know who a mysterious man in a red jacket captured by surveillance cameras is, nor who another two individuals filmed at about the time of the fire are.
She suspects whoever devised the whole action probably knew exactly when the attack would cause the most damage and carefully thought out their plan.
In addition to private individuals, local Polish businesses also joined the relief efforts, such as BigBuła – a van with street food including zapiekanki and other delicacies.
If anyone would like to contribute, the fundraiser can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/f/butik-uk-leicester.
Unfortunately, Mrs Jędrzejewska said her goods were not insured.
