COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The merchandise that thousands of people purchased from Atrevida Beer Co. in Colorado Springs as a show of support for the owner, Rich Fierro, who was hero in the Club Q shooting, is finally arriving to mailboxes across the country.
The small brewery updated their website on Aug. 9 announcing they made progress on beginning to ship out orders after paying a company to help them organize the process. The website reads, "On 7/20/23 Atrevida submitted the full payment and signed all necessary documents needed to start the process of shipping out orders. Yay!"
>Watch video above that aired April 10: Brewery owned by Club Q hero gets hate messages over merchandise delay
When Michael Honig finally received his merchandise order, he called 9NEWS Monday with an update. Honig lives in Maryland and purchased merchandise from the brewery after the shooting to support Fierro's business.
"Got my shirts today too! (So glad that you can finally stop stressing about merch.) I saw that 9NEWS had been following the story so I contacted them and let them know," he posted on the brewery's Facebook page. "They said they may want to do a final follow-up about your journey since the horrible incident at Club Q. Sending much love to Rich and Jess and the Atrevida family."
Hal Oliver also posted a picture of his t-shirt order on the businesses' Facebook page.
In a video posted on the brewery's website in July, Atrevida owner Jess Fiero said, "We're so excited to see you guys in it. We're so excited to have you guys tag us and share it. This is something that has been a long road for all of us, but we're super, super grateful for your guys' patience."
She said a large manufacturer stepped in and helped pump out all of the orders.
"So if you did place an order, you will receive that order, I promise you. It's just going to be a matter of weeks at this point," she said.
When people flooded the brewery's website after Rich Fierro was deemed a hero for stopping the gunman at Club Q, a Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ nightclub, in November, the orders overwhelmed the small business. Days after the shooting, the Fierros posted a video to the brewery's Facebook page thanking customers and asking them to be patient after they received a large number of orders for merchandise.
"Please be patient with us. We have a microbrewery, and about 10 t-shirts back there, and we got a little bit more than we expected, right. Our intent is to fill everybody's request and get everybody a shirt. It may take us a year, it may take 10 days, who knows. Please be patient with us," Rich Fierro told customers at the time.
Five months after that video, the Fierros said they began working with a large brand to help fulfill those orders.
Some customers weren't happy with the delays. In the post, the company said they received hate calls, messages and posts that said they were "thieves."
Another customer posted a comment on the brewery's Facebook page after finally receiving their order.
"Out of the blue my t-shirt arrived today. To be honest, I looked at my purchase as a donation and then when you were inundated with orders, I never expected to actually get one (and was totally fine with that!). What a nice surprise and great way to start the day! I don't even drink but will wear it proudly. Thank yoooooou! Wishing you continued success!" Betsy Todd wrote.
The brewery owners said they were thankful for the customers who stayed patient.
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