A Wrexham entrepreneur will be ‘forever grateful’ to Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney after their incredible generosity ‘saved’ his business.
Stephen Tapp was left devastated when he discovered his business, Wrexham Trainer Revival, had been looted by thieves in the early hours of October 28.
He estimated that more than £7,000 worth of shares had been taken, leaving him ‘completely heartbroken’ and unsure if he could afford to ever open his business again.
A JustGiving page was set up in an attempt to get Tapp back on his feet and caught the attention of Reynolds and McElhenney, co-owners of Wrexham Football Club.
Tapp set a target of £3,500 to get back on his feet and the Hollywood duo donated the full amount, leaving him speechless.
A local business in Wrexham was broken into and thousands of pounds worth of shares were seized
Ryan Reynolds (left) and Rob McElhenney (right) stepped in to get Tapp back on his feet
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“Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds literally saved my company and I will be forever grateful,” Tapp wrote on X. “If you only knew what that donation has meant to my life…”
Tapp would get the chance to personally thank McElhenney on Saturday with the It’s always sunny in Philadelphia star in town to watch Wrexham rise to second place in League Two after a 2-0 win over Gillingham.
Reynolds and McElhenney weren’t the only ones to come to Tapp’s aid, with more than £8,000 raised from 192 other donations.
Initial donations allowed Tapp to reopen its doors on November 1, but Reynolds and McElhenney’s donation blew Tapp away.
“The cleanup is complete. I lost a lot more than except, but I’m opening today. I’ve had a replacement supply, new sneakers, hoodies, track tops,” Tapp wrote on Facebook.
‘Thanks to everyone who made this happen so quickly. Huge love for all the support including the Go Fund, it was so overwhelming.”
In addition to restoring old sneakers, Tapp’s Trainer Revival also sells rare brand new sneakers, which were targeted when it was looted.
‘So today was a nightmare. “When I got to the store this morning I found the place had been trashed by some damn assholes,” he wrote after the break-in.
“The store has been destroyed and thousands of pounds worth of stock has gone missing. It has broken me so much that I am not sure if I will open again.”
The business owner was overcome with emotion by the Hollywood couple’s generosity towards him
They donated £3,500, his target amount, to a GoFundMe page, and he was able to reopen
Tapp (pictured left) said he will be “forever grateful” to both actors for their help
News of the damage to Tapp’s business saw fans rally to donate more than £8,000
Reynolds and McElhenney’s generosity is just their latest act in helping the community.
Last week it was revealed how Reynolds came to the aid of Wrexham player Anthony Forde’s wife after she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.
Ireland full-back Forde saw his life turned upside down when Laura was diagnosed with a brain tumor midway through last season.
Reynolds didn’t want to stand idly by as Forde and his wife struggled to make sense of the shocking news – so he arranged for them to get a quick second opinion.
Speaking in episode 14 of the final season of Welcome to Wrexham, Forde revealed: “It just didn’t feel like it was real. The gaffer told the owners about the news and they got in touch.
“Ryan helped obtain a second opinion. It’s something he doesn’t have to do, he doesn’t have to do that.’
That second opinion proved crucial for the couple, with Laura receiving news that it was a ‘best case scenario’ compared to the results of her first MRI scan.
Wrexham have made a strong start in the Football League, with Forde and his teammates sitting in second place after 17 games.
Wrexham star Anthony Forde saw his life turned upside down when wife Laura was diagnosed with a brain tumor
In Welcome to Wrexham, Forde’s wife said she was told about her inoperable tumor
Reynolds intervened when he heard why one of Wrexham’s players was out of the team