Company hired by Hurricane Helene victims to rebuild kitchens closes abruptly: ‘We’re in a standstill’

Out thousands of dollars due to business closing

FOX 13's Genevieve Curtis reports on One Stop Kitchens and Bath, which was hired by many recovering from the hurricanes to repair their kitchens. However, it is now out of business, leaving customers wondering what happened to the tens of thousands of dollars they've already paid to the company.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Homeowners rebuilding after Hurricane Helene found the St. Petersburg company they hired to fix their kitchens has abruptly closed their doors. It's left customers wondering what happened to the tens of thousands of dollars they've already paid to the company: One Stop Kitchens and Bath.

The St. Pete Police Department confirmed to FOX 13 that its economic crimes detectives are investigating at least one case involving the business so far.

READ: St. Pete Beach homeowner receives nearly $14,000 water bill

Local perspective:

A sign on the door at the St. Pete location says that the company closed down on February 25. "The closure was forced upon us unexpectedly due to severe financial pressures beyond our control," the sign on the door reads.

It goes on to say, "This leaves many of you without the services or resolutions you deserve, and we deeply regret that we cannot offer further assistance or direction to ease the impact of this sudden turn of events." The note concludes by saying, "This notice marks our final communication regarding the closure."

Yvonne Orr’s kitchen is the gathering place for her family, but she had to tear it all out and start fresh after Hurricane Helene. It’s the last major piece of putting her home back together after the hurricane's damaging floods.

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She paid One Stop Kitchens and Bath $30,000 for cabinets in December, but now she has no idea if she will ever get the service she paid for.

"My stomach was in knots. All of yesterday, I was feeling horrible. Just like, what do you do next?" she said.

Dig deeper:

Since the sign about the company's closure was attached to the door, the business has gone completely dark, disconnecting their phone number and taking down its Instagram page.

"You know, what nature did to us was unavoidable. These sort of things are avoidable, in my opinion, and they should have been mitigated in some way ahead of customers," said Orr.

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What they're saying:

Orr’s neighbor, Jonathon Micklitsch, is dealing with the same thing.

"We’re rebuilding based on insurance payments and nothing more," he said.

Micklitsch used the company five years ago to renovate his kitchen – when the company was under a different owner. So after Helene, he went back to the company he thought he could trust, not knowing ownership had changed.

Now, his home's rebuilding is halted.

"I'm stuck. I'm stuck to find out what happens. I mean, I reached out to the actual manufacturer of the cabinets, seeing if they can help, but right now, we're in a standstill," he said.

READ: Iconic St. Pete Beach hotels to remain closed until summer, missing busy spring break season

The other side:

One Stop Kitchens and Bath is a retailer of MasterBrand cabinets, so Micklitsch, along with other homeowners FOX 13 spoke to, reached out to the manufacturer to see whether the company ever put their orders through. They’re in limbo, still unsure whether they could receive cabinets or not.

"I guess you got to be just a heartless person to take advantage of people that are, you know, trying to put their lives back together," said Micklitsch, regarding the retailer.

One Stop Kitchens and Bath has other locations in Tampa and Oldsmar, which are also listed as permanently closed. Another sign on the company’s St. Pete location is a notice of failure to pay rent.

The Source: The information in this story was gathered using information from the St. Pete Police Department, a sign posted on the doors of One Stop Kitchens and Bath. It also was gathered through interviews with residents who hired the company.

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