Less than three months after opening their first home decor store, HGTV stars Chelsea and Cole DeBoer of the show “Down Home Fab” faced a frightening situation on June 15, 2024. As customers shopped at their store in Tea, South Dakota — a suburb of Sioux Falls — a white SUV crashed into the storefront, according to local news station KELO.
In her Instagram Stories later in the day, Chelsea posted a video to explain the situation and assure fans that though their store, DownHome by DeBoers, sustained damage and would have to close temporarily, no one was injured in the accident. Photos of the scene were also posted on social media by multiple witnesses.
“This could have been so much worse,” Chelsea wrote over her video, “but it WASN’T! And that is what I’m grateful for.”
Cole DeBoer Says Pulling Up to the Accident Scene Was ‘Scary’
After the accident, multiple social media accounts posted photos and accounts of the crash. A local Facebook group called Tea Storm Chasers posted images of the damage to the store’s entrance, and another of the white SUV at rest, with its hood up and front end rammed into a corner wall and window as at least five firefighters and other witnesses stood around it.
One bystander who replied to the post wrote that it was “quite the scene,” and posted a photo of squad cars and a fire truck responding to the accident.
A site called “The Ashleys Reality Roundup” posted photos of Cole and Chelsea outside the store, talking with people at the scene, and an image of the white SUV on a tow truck bed, with its front smashed in.
In the DeBoers’ Instagram update after the crash, Chelsea said, “I just want to hop onto Stories just to talk a little bit about what happened today. So, there was an accident at our store today, where someone crashed into our store.”
“It was an accident,” she continued, “and everyone is fine. Thank God because obviously this could have been a lot worse. So we’re gonna be closed for a couple days for sure while we figure everything out and get everything fixed. But most importantly is that everyone is fine. The driver is okay. And the people in the store at the time are okay.”
When Chelsea turned the camera on Cole, who was driving, he added, “It’s extremely unfortunate, but I’m so glad nobody was injured. Pulling up to the scene, it was, it’s scary and, you know, things like that happen. Just glad we’re all okay.”
Local Authorities Do Not Know the Cause of the Crash at Chelsea & Cole DeBoer’s New Store
According to KELO, staff at the DeBoers’ store said the crash sounded “like a train.” The store’s chief operating officer, Zoe Hill, told the station that most of the damage was to the structure of the building, and that items with light damage from flying glass and debris will likely be sold at a “scratch and dent sale.”
Though there were rumors on social media that the driver of the vehicle suffered a medical emergency, Tea assistant fire chief Bob Venard told KELO that the crash “did not appear to be related to any medical issues for the driver.”
According to the store’s Instagram account, the shop will resume normal business hours starting at 9 a.m. on June 18.
Chelsea and Cole opened the doors to their store on March 22, and have announced plans for a grand opening event on July 13. They told Sioux Falls Business they planned to work at the furniture and home decor store alongside the staffers they’ve hired.
The couple has not heard yet whether HGTV has renewed “Down Home Fab” for a third season, but Cole told Sioux Falls Business, “We’ll be here as much as we can be. If we get another season, we’ll be doing both.”
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