A vehicle rammed into the storefront of Nerdy Fox Rentals and Designs Wednesday evening.
Submitted photo
Greenwood’s Nerdy Fox Rentals and Designs suffered immense damage to their storefront after a minivan rammed through the entrance Nov. 15.
The wedding décor company, located at 50 Airport Parkway, was struck by an 83-year-old driver at around 6:00 p.m. after he allegedly pressed the Chrysler Pacifica’s gas pedal instead of the brake by mistake while parking in a handicapped spot in front of the building.
The man was reportedly visiting a relative who worked at Oaken Barrel Brewing Company after driving from North Carolina. Another person was inside of the car, but neither was harmed by the crash. No one was in the building at the time of incident, according to the accident report compiled by Greenwood police.
Cheyenne Fox, owner of Nerdy Fox Rentals and Designs, was in Cincinnati for a wedding industry conference when she received a phone call from the police shortly after the crash occurred.
“My heart just sank,” Fox said. “I honestly thought it was a joke at first from someone who knew I was out of town. People don’t just drive into buildings. I immediately messaged one of my team members to head over there. She was able to Facetime me to show me everything that was going on.”
Members of the Greenwood Fire Department had to build a temporary support structure at the front door because it appeared that the entryway was sagging.
The estimated damage to the building and vehicle was between $50,001 and $100,000, according to the crash report.
Although the company has been in business for about six years, Fox has only operated out of the location since 2022. The mother of two said it was difficult to hold back tears when she arrived to the scene of the crash.
“I have just put everything into the business,” Fox said. Seeing something like this happen is heartbreaking. I was so thankful that nobody was hurt. At the end of the day, it is just stuff, and stuff can be replaced. It is hard though. So many clients rely on us throughout the year. They first told me that the guy drove about 10 feet into the building. I was thinking that he had hit my shelves, and it would have just domino-ed over.
“I thought I lost everything.”
After clearing out the debris, Fox said the damage was not as bad as it could have been. Several of the business’ signature pieces sitting by the entrance were destroyed, but a majority of the props on the shelves are still usable, she said.
Contractors are currently assessing the integrity of the front façade, where the structural damage will negate the use of the front door for the foreseeable future.
Clients will still be able to come in for appointments, but they will have to use the door located at the rear of the building.
“I think we will be able to replace the things that were damaged before they need to be used,” Fox said. “That was one of my biggest stresses. It is really going to be hard not operating at our full potential especially while we go into engagement season. A lot of couples get engaged between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, so that is when we have most of our meetings. We’re going to be patient and adjust how we do our appointments.”
Fox expressed gratitude to the building’s landlord and the first responders for their quick reaction to the incident. The business, which specializes in geek chic, modern and unusual event décor, will remain in operation during the rebuilding process.
As the news of the accident spread, the community embraced the company and offered words of encouragement, she said.
“We’ve had a lot of vendors, clients, and friends of ours reach out to us,” Fox said. “Everybody wanted to make sure we were safe. It meant so much to me that people cared. None of our clients have expressed concern about their wedding, because they know we are going to take care of them no matter what. We bend over backward when we can to make it work for them.”
