Claire Buchanan-Gaughan's Floorish, a family-owned flooring business serving Pacific Palisades for over 40 years, was among 70 businesses destroyed in a devastating wildfire. Now facing the loss of both her store and stored household belongings, the British-born entrepreneur seeks to rebuild while supporting her displaced community. 

The morning of January 7, 2025, started like any other at Floorish in Pacific Palisades, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, where Claire Buchanan-Gaughan had spent nearly 18 years building upon a legacy of quality flooring services. By nightfall, her livelihood would be reduced to ashes in one of California's most devastating urban fires. 

"At around 11 a.m., I heard numerous sirens and noticed a huge plume of smoke above the nearby Santa Monica Mountains," Buchanan-Gaughan recalled. As the situation rapidly deteriorated, she rushed to collect her son from school, leaving behind her wallet and personal items – decisions that would have lasting consequences as the fire consumed everything in its path. 

Flooring runs deep in Buchanan-Gaughan's blood. She grew up in England surrounded by carpet samples and industry talk. 

 "I hadn't been directly involved in the flooring business before, but growing up, my father had a carpet store, and I was surrounded by carpet talk and carpet samples, so flooring was in my veins," she explained. He later worked as a rep for a major mill, which led her to become perfectly positioned to take over Carpets West in 2007 when the retiring owner approached her father, who is a 50-year veteran of the flooring industry. 

Under her leadership, the rebranded Floorish became a cornerstone of the Pacific Palisades community, evolving beyond traditional carpeting to offer globally sourced hardwoods, water-resistant vinyls, and custom drapery. The store served a diverse clientele ranging from local homeowners to high-end designers, reflecting the changing demographics of the area.  

"Many were older established residents, but a recent influx of younger residents from financial, entertainment and high-tech institutions was injecting new life into the village," Buchanan-Gaughan said. "Important to me was to meet the changes by revitalizing the look and feel of the store whilst still catering to more traditional tastes and still providing the same personal service on which the store was founded." 

She ran the store single-handedly and would turn to her father for advice, who also helped with measures. She built a network of trusted, qualified installation crews who worked for her and other stores in Los Angeles. 

While most of her business came from local village residents who walk in to select their own materials, Buchanan-Gaughan also worked with some design companies who operated out of the Palisades such as Bonesteel Trout Hall and The Kitchen Design Group.   

"A major challenge I faced was how to stock an extensive and eclectic selection of product samples that suited the wide range of budgets, design, and decoration preferences in a limited space," she said. " I think I managed that quite well by maximizing wall as well as floor space and investing in custom racks and displays. I had only finished having the last of the new displays installed two weeks before the fire." 

The Palisades was a magnet, stretching along the coast between Malibu and Santa Monica between the ocean and mountains. "It wasn't only the ocean, the wonderful parks and hiking trials that were a draw, so were the great schools, the village center with a wide variety of stores, a movie theater, recreation center, a selection of restaurants and cafes, boutiques, home interior stores, several schools and places of worship just about everything that was needed," Buchanan-Gaughan said.  

That village now lies in ruins, with the fire destroying 86% of structures in its path, including seventy businesses and leaving nearly 1,000 buildings damaged. The Palisades Fire grew to destroy large areas of Pacific Palisades, Topanga, and Malibu before it was fully contained after 24 days on January 31. 

The devastation extends beyond Buchanan-Gaughan's business. A storage unit below the store was also destroyed—it contained her family's household possessions during a recent home renovation. "Each time I compile a list of losses, I recall something else that has gone, many irreplaceable like photos and videos of my son as a baby," she shared. Birth certificates, passports, and business documents stored in a bank-safe deposit box were reduced to melted metal. 

The impact ripples through her family. Her son, already dealing with years of educational disruption from COVID-19, now faces another school change. Her husband had taken time off work to renovate their house, leaving the family without income while mortgage and city taxes continue to accumulate. 

Despite these challenges, Buchanan-Gaughan remains resilient. While rebuilding in the Palisades may take years – with residents potentially displaced for up to two years due to contamination concerns – she's exploring options for an online presence and alternative locations. She continues to attend industry trade shows like The International Surface Event in Las Vegas, determined to stay current with product knowledge and maintain her connection to the flooring community. 

The response from both government agencies and industry colleagues has been swift. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and multiple agencies quickly established Disaster Recovery Centers, helping with immediate needs and long-term planning. Jeff Gershenberg, territory manager for Stanton Carpet, initiated a GoFundMe campaign to help replace essential business equipment and set up a temporary location to operate her business.  

"I want to stay part of the flooring community; I want to be back in business," she asserted, though acknowledging the challenges ahead. "Looking at the Palisades, I see what looks like a nuclear wasteland... but I cling to the hope that we will all return eventually." 

For now, Buchanan-Gaughan faces the delicate balance of managing ongoing business commitments – including installations in unaffected properties – while navigating insurance claims and rebuilding plans. "How do you ask people to pay the balance for their very recently installed flooring when they have no home or flooring left?" she questioned, highlighting the complex dimensions of disaster recovery.