For anyone else looking at a photo of an ornate, pastel-colored fish chair, their first thought would probably be something along the lines of, “No thanks,” especially considering the $699 price tag attached to it.
But for one Facebook user, spotting the unique piece online struck a much deeper, more emotional chord. And thanks to the power of the internet, there’s now an entire group of people doing everything they can to deliver that trout chair across state lines to someone who deserves to be its new owner.
A few days ago, a photo of that very chair popped up in the Facebook group, “Weird Secondhand Finds That Just Need To Be Shared”.
“Fish chair,” the original poster captioned the photo . “Or is it a trout throne?”
The fishy furnishing was spotted on display at “Second Chance”, an appropriately-named secondhand store in Baltimore, Maryland. It immediately caught the attention of the group’s members, not just because it was a wacky piece, but because it would cost any interested buyer $699 to have it in their home.
For most people in the Facebook group, the photo simply made them laugh and perhaps even shake their head in wonder.
Although the poster explained the seat is a “MacKenzie-Childs chair, which retails at over $1,000”, it still doesn’t seem worth its hefty price tag to the average consumer.
Naturally, most users reacted to the photo with a laughing emoji and then likely carried on with their day without giving the chair a second thought.
But when Emily DelFavero saw it, she had a different reaction, and was hit with a pretty intense bought of emotional nostalgia.
“I literally have this chair [tattooed],” she commented on the post, even adding a photo of said tattoo for good measure.
Indeed, inked on her leg is that very same fish chair, complete with its rainbow-striped cushion and alternately-facing trouty pair.
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Seriously, what are the odds?
But this story doesn’t simply stop there, because there’s quite the heart-wrenching story attached to Emily’s unique tattoo.
In a follow-up post , she explained that her mother used to keep MacKenzie-Childs art and furniture all over their house when she was growing up, which is why she now has a chair tattooed on her leg.
“This particular chair was a mini-model in extremely extravagant doll house built in the back room of Mackenzie Child’s studio in Aurora, NY,” she explained. “I’ve never seen a life sized one!”
It didn’t take long for word of Emily’s incredible connection with the chair to spread through the group, touching members and inspiring several to personally take action.
An entirely new Facebook group was made, and dubbed “From Baltimore to Emily D.”
Its mission? To unite the young woman with the very same chair that holds such a deep meaning for her. But in order for that to happen, the piece must somehow travel from Baltimore to its new home with Emily in Syracuse.
That’s where the incredible people of this Facebook group come in.
They began with a GoFundMe campaign because before anything else could happen, they would need to raise the money to actually purchase the pricey chair.
It would certainly appear that they were successful. As of writing their campaign has raised $710, surpassing their initial goal of $700.
With the funds secured, all that’s left to do is figure out how to actually get the fishy chair to Emily, over 330 miles away.
After many Facebook users in the group offered up various route options, as well as their own services in transporting the chair, a plan has finally been established.
As organizer Seria Risa explained, the trip will be completed in seven legs, with each one running approximately 45 minutes to an hour, depending on what that specific driver is able to complete. Hand-offs will take place at various police stations located at various leg route points.
As of Wednesday, all legs of the trip have officially been covered, and the fish chair is ready for its cross-state journey.
The plan is for the trip to officially begin on Sunday, September 13. As of writing, there are currently more than 1,300 members in the “From Baltimore to Emily D” group, ranging from volunteer drivers to users from around the world who are simply eager to witness this incredible coming-together of people.
If you want to keep up with the chair’s journey, make sure to check out the official Facebook page .
Godspeed, trout chair!
Note: a previous version of this story said the chair was tattooed in honor of Emily’s late mother. It has since been updated to reflect that her mother has not passed away.
h/t: Facebook | Secondhand Finds That Just Need To Be Shared , Facebook | From Baltimore to Emily D
