Goshen lumber owner returns donations after fire-driven rescue
After a Route 17A fire left a $100,000 gap, Sal Mastropolo III repaid 80-plus donors with money and gift cards, turning a rescue into a trust story.
Sal Mastropolo III turned a disaster fundraiser into a rare act of repayment, calling back donors who helped keep Authentic Antique Lumber alive after a fire ripped through its sanding and epoxy building on Route 17A in Goshen.
The fire broke out around 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, and left the structure essentially destroyed, though no one was injured. Mastropolo said the business was facing a shortfall of about $100,000, a hit that threatened 18 employees and put payroll in doubt as the shop tried to recover from the loss.
Mastropolo said his insurance would not pay to replace the building or cover demolition, so he maxed out his accounts, took out a loan and asked the public for help. A GoFundMe campaign launched the same day said the blaze destroyed tools, equipment, customer projects, the shop space and one vehicle. Several large custom orders were lost, including a $15,000 table, deepening the damage beyond the building itself.
What made the response stand out was what came next. Mastropolo later said he planned to repay the more than 80 donors who had stepped in after the first reports of the fire, and he followed through by returning their money and sending gift cards. He told one restaurant manager, “We’re going to send that money back to you and we’re going to send you a gift card.” Some donors were surprised to get their contributions back, after sending money to help the business survive.
The gesture also carried family history. Mastropolo inherited the company from his late father, Sal Mastropolo Jr., who started the business in 1972 by taking down barns and selling the wood. The company now operates as American Reclaimed & Authentic Antique Lumber, with Goshen as its base and showrooms in Rye and Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Town of Goshen planning-board records identify it as American Reclaimed, LLC, formerly Authentic Antique Lumber.
For Mastropolo, the repayment was more than a thank-you. It was a statement that the community’s emergency help would not be taken for granted, even after a fire nearly wiped out the shop and the confidence that comes with keeping 18 workers on the payroll.
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