Texas furniture store turns showroom into shelter and sends truckloads of supplies to Ida victims

Gallery Furniture in Houston quickly transformed from a showroom into a shelter for people displaced by Hurricane Ida.

Jim McIngvale, also known as Mattress Mack, is the owner of three Gallery Furniture stores, and it's not the first time his north Houston location has welcomed people in the wake of disaster — earlier this year, the store opened its doors to people needing food and shelter after a brutal winter storm hit Texas. When Hurricane Ida slammed into Louisiana on Aug. 29, McIngvale started gathering supplies to send to New Orleans, loading up dozens of his trucks with water, food, and generators.

Just two days later, the necessities were on their way to Louisiana, and McIngvale was getting ready to send even more truckloads of supplies to the state. "Louisiana helped us during Hurricane Harvey, so it's the right thing to do to help our neighbors," McIngvale told The Washington Post. He also wanted to assist those who came to Houston after Ida damaged their homes, and about 50 families and individuals sought shelter at Gallery Furniture.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

"They've had their lives turned upside down, and we're going to do all we can to help them," McIngvale said. Ana Lee, her husband, and their children are among those who came to the showroom after their rental home in Destrehen, Louisiana, was destroyed by Ida. "I really have to tip my hat to Mattress Mack's kindness at helping so many," she told the Post. "It's a pleasure to meet somebody who has a good heart."