The Mayor of Western Avenue

Not long ago, someone asked me who my heroes were, who did I most admire? I thought about all the known celebrities, all the world's greatest leaders, the mythically large characters of history, and the lasting gurus of spiritual truths. Surely there were many greats among them.

I quickly realized, however, that my heroes were those who were rarely seen, the average guy and gal whose feats of heroism and bravery are not often seen other than an occasional glimpse passing through our lives.

I wrote of such a hero when I told of Miles Levin, who died last year of Stage 4 Aveolar Rhadbdomyosarcoma. You've also probably heard many tales of heroism in conjunction with the southern hurricanes and other recent disasters. You surely know, and we certainly owe our gratitude to, the troops fighting and dying overseas for our freedoms here in the states. You may not have heard of Kerry S. Kennedy.



Around 2 a.m. on New Years Eve, fire broke out in the flower shop of KS Kennedy, Distinctive Floral Gift and Gourmet. The flames quickly engulfed the shop and Kennedy's apartment upstairs, also causing damaged to the Modern Cafe next door along with several other businesses in the 800 block of Western and Galveston Avenues. Kerry escaped with the clothes on his back and his beloved dog, Lucy, who he returned into the smoke-filled building to rescue.

But that's not why he is my hero.

Some hours after the blaze, after losing everything, including his wallet, ATM card, credit cards, car keys (which were later found by the fire department), all his worldly possessions including his business and livelihood, Kerry was up at first light "poking posies," filling an order for flowers for a funeral he had contracted for before the fire. The next day, he fulfilled an order for a previously contracted wedding.

I don't know if I could have done that.

After I heard of the fire, I began to form a list in my mind of all that he would need to restore and of all that could never be replaced, everything from ancestry photos and collectible antiques, to toasters, bedding, alarm clock, socks, underwear, and toothpaste. What about tax records? Important documents? Computer emails, passwords. All gone. (A friend did next day air him a computer.)

Kerry told me, "You know I built that shop on a nickel, and I will again. You'll see." He is already working for tomorrow, looking for the next store front, a new place to rebuild what has become a fixture of Western Avenue and the North Side of Pittsburgh.

I know, many people have gone through this kind of thing. We all have faced some type of tragedy or disaster in our lives. What makes Kerry my hero is his undying, positive, let's-keep-going attitude. Nothing keeps him down. While most of us would be throwing in the towel, Kerry is figuring out how to rebuild, how to start over, how to let his customers know he's still here.



"Tell them to call me," he says, "Tell them I'm still here at 412-322-ROSE" (or 1-888-322-7676).

And they are finding him, even down the street where he is working out of the ballroom of the Parador Inn, where Kerry has been staying since the night of the fire. It's kind of like those Mickey Rooney movies where the kids find a theater and put on a production for a dime. Somehow it all works out, even when it looks impossible in the beginning.



In the three short years that Kerry has been selling flowers, coffee, chocolate, and gifts on the North Side, he has become known as "The Mayor of Western Avenue." From his bright little shop, he greeted all sorts of people from all walks of life, and whether rich or poor, downtrodden or on a roll, Kerry would invite them in to his shop for coffee, chocolate or Brunton milk, encourage them through thick and thin, and have them leaving with a smile, no matter how bad their life may have seemed five minutes before they walked in. Kerry just has that kind of magic with people.

What many people don't know is that of all people, Kerry probably has more reason to be down then any of us. After his mother died an untimely death when he was just five, he was shuffled to aunts, uncles, his grandmother, older siblings, sometimes being left to his own devices. (This last one may be why Kerry is so resourceful to this day.) In 1975, his father suddenly dropped dead of a heart attack. Kerry, just sixteen, temporarily lived in a college dorm while attending high school, until going to live with his sister Kim. He eventually moved out on his own. In 1981, his older brother, Tommy, was tragically killed in an automobile accident.

Later, Kerry tried his hand at a range of businesses, including children's photography, a cheerful Christmas store, and others, many ending on a bad note when things, often out of his own hands, went wrong. But that didn't stop him, he kept going, kept smiling, kept encouraging others. Then, after surviving three hurricanes in Florida, Kerry returned to Pittsburgh, where the warmth of people substituted for the warmth of the sun.


Not long after setting up, true to form, Kerry took in his lifetime friend, Bernie Heubel. Bernie had agreed to share living expenses to help Kerry get the shop off the ground. Then in July of 2008, when Bernie was diagnosed with terminal bile duct cancer, who was at his bedside 24/7, all the while keeping up with the floral business downstairs? Kerry. To hear him talking of changing diapers and shuffling bed pans, you'd think it was no more than sticking some flowers in a vase. If you've ever done that kind of duty, you know what a toll it can take on a person both mentally and physically. Kerry kept smiling. And after the loss of his friend, who did the floral arrangements for the funeral - not just for one location, but for two? Kerry, because he wanted to ensure everything was just right.

I wish each of you who reads this story could meet Kerry. I know you too would smile by his spark of enthusiasm, his joy of living and his positive attitude. You would quickly learn why being in "Kerryville" is a very fun place to be and a lesson to be learned by all of us. We can't prevent tragedy or hardship from befalling us. We can control how we respond to it. Like Kerry, we can see the bright spot in the soot, the new opportunities left by the burned out door, the chance to make things better in the soggy ash on the floor. Like Kerry, you can become a hero.

(You can meet Kerry by ordering flowers from him - no matter where you are in the USA, he has Telaflora and will ensure that the flowers delivered are the best they can be. Call 412-322-ROSE (or 1-888-322-7676) (K. S. Kennedy Distinctive Floral and Gifts)

UPDATE 1/5/09: Since the fire, Kerry has only been allowed access to the building once, and only for a few minutes. (We're not sure why the owners have prevented him from reclaiming anything that might remain.) With his sister Kim by his side, they watched while firemen sifted through a pile of ashes where his wallet may have been, only a drawer bottom remained of an entire desk. Upstairs, they did find one thing of importance still standing, even if slightly singed. Kerry's Cowher chair. A well-known fan of Coach Bill Cowher, Kerry signed up for the family's house auction when Cowher retired. From then on, the Cowher chair became a local destination. Folks came into the shop to have their picture taken sitting in it, and the chair became a familiar topic of conversation. Said Kerry, "Finding that chair still intact was like a phoenix had risen out of the ashes," and it has been one of many inspirational points that has kept him going through this trial by fire.

UPDATE 1/22/09 : Kerry has found a new store front on Western Avenue and will be relocating to 848 Western Avenue (just four doors down from where he was.) He needs EVERYTHING for the shop. We are grateful to those who do anything to help, either by donating goods, services, gift cards, or dollars, or order flowers and have them sent.

UPDATE 2/8/09: Kerry is now in his new shop, but still in need of a cooler. Valentines is quickly approaching, you can help by ordering your loved ones flowers from Kerry.

UPDATE 5/30/09: Kerry finally was able to get a cooler in the shop and sent me photos of it earlier this month. Then mid-May, I was fortunate enough to visit him when I attended a conference in the area. Kerry has been through some rough times. He noticed some people loading the goods from his burned out apartment into a truck and discovered that his previous landlord had sold all his possessions to salvagers without allowing him to take anything. Kerry literally had to buy a few of his own things, what little he could afford, due to the inconsideration and lack of compassion of these people.

If you'd like to learn more about Kerry, K. S. Kennedy Distinctive Floral and Gifts, or the fire, I'm posting a collection of links below.

If you'd like to donate to help Kerry rebuild including old counters, display cases, floral equipment and supplies, vases, baskets, foams, ribbon or other items, use the contact information above.

Monetary donations can be sent to the Western Avenue Fire Relief Fund based at Fifth Third Bank, 517 East Ohio St., or dropped off at any Fifth Third Bank branch or mailed to the Northside Leadership Conference, 4 Allegheny Center, Suite 601, Pittsburgh PA 15212. Specify in the memo line of checks KS Kennedy.

Picture of Kerry and Lucy at the new shop.

A great Post Gazette Interview by Brian O'Neill

http://www.pghlesbian.com/blog/_archives/2009/2/8/4084576.html

http://www.lend-a-hand.info/Services.html

Pittsburghdish/flower-power

A Benefit Concert

pghbloggers.org

pittsburghlive.com

kdka.com/video

pghbloggers.org

www.msnbc.msn.com

http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/18393808/detail.html

TheBusmansHoliday/new-years-day-notes

Post-gazette.com

www.wpxi.com (video)

http://Pittsburghlive.com/

Pittsburghdish/new-years-eve-f.html

Pittsburgh.craigslist.org

KSKennedy.com/


(*top two photos provided by Pittsburgh Dish, were taken by Susan Meadowcroft and Emilia Boehm)