Auction benefits couple’s antique store, home burned in fire

PORTSMOUTH

The owners of Skipjack Nautical Wares & Marine Gallery never held back when it came to helping out in Olde Towne Portsmouth.

That’s why David Cartier implored the crowd that filled Chez Papillote restaurant Friday night on High Street to dig deep into their pockets and bid more on the artwork and other items donated to raise money for Joe and Alison Elder.

Their shop and apartment were damaged Dec. 20 after a fire broke out in the sanctuary of nearby Zion Baptist Church.

“It’s one thing to lose your home,” Cartier said. “It’s another thing to lose your business. But it’s unfathomable to lose both .”

Organizers didn’t know immediately following the auction how much money had been raised.

Other events in the community also are being planned.

“The support has been out of this world,” Joe Elder said.

Local and regional artists donated more than 200 pieces of artwork for the auction, said event organizer Barbara Hester.

“I’ve never done an auction before in my life, but this had to be done,” Hester said.

About 200 people took paddles to bid. Many said they came from Portsmouth to support the couple, but others from as far away as Maryland and North Carolina attended the silent and live auctions.

Retired Navy Capt. Peter Labyak, who lost about 30 paintings in the gallery, donated another one for the auction.

“I’ve been with Joe for over two years,” he said. “They’ve been very good at promoting my art. He’s like one of my family.”

Other effects of the fire continued to be felt Friday.

Earlier in the day , a building adjoining the gallery was evacuated.

Portsmouth Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services Battalion Chief Earl Fly said the department evacuated as many as 12 people after a large section of bricks fell from the second story of an exterior wall at 627 High St .

A structural engineer who was called in declared the building unsafe, Fly said.

The building houses a Jackson-Hewitt tax office and several apartments. Residents without alternative accommodations are being housed by the Red Cross.

As for the congregation of 142-year-old Zion Baptist Church, members plan to have services Sunday at Portsmouth Sheriff Bill Watson’s planning academy , said Fletcher Parker, chairman of the church’s deacon board.

“We had insurance, but it won’t be enough to build a brand new church, not according to today’s standards,” he said.

Staff writer John Warren contributed to this report.

Jen McCaffery, (757) 446-2627, jen.mccaffery@pilotonline.com