Gallery Furniture on 45 burning to the ground right now!

He found the kid and they were together on the news last night. He tried to return the money and the kid refused (he was saving it for an ipod), so he gave the kid a brand new touch Ipod. He also broke down when talking about what an amazing gesture it was. The kid was right beside him.

 

Gallery Furniture is pretty much the biggest local sponsor to all the news stations. He's gotten free publicity like this for years. Basically the news stations eat it up so that he will buy more ad space.

 

There's no doubt the news station is looking out for their interests with Mac as a sponsor and big figure in Houston...but c'mon...

He gives money to charity and you claim it as greed for the tax write-off (not right-off)?

Be mad at the news station, not at Mac. He found the kid and bought him an iPod. If anything be mad at the news station, not at Mac...they are the ones telling the story.

And it's not like people don't know where Gallery Furniture is, or won't find out from the extensive advertising he does. I'm sure it was not done just to get the new address out. It is good publicity for him, but it's not as mischievous on his part as you claim it to be.

 

Call me crazy, but I don't think Mac is too concerned about a $211 tax write-off....

 

This is what I was going to post. I lol at the idea that he took the kid's money so he could get a tax write-off!

 

Charitable contributions are limited, you can't take the full amount anyway.

 

Dude, it's $211. Nothing to sneeze at. I mean.. how else is Mac going to buy $500k cows at the Rodeo?

 

I find it interesting that the Chronicle deactivated the "comments" section to the article after about 80 posts. His son was even posting and addressing the negative comments.

 

what did they expect. the furniture business is one of the main ones hurt by this downturn, people are going to speculate

 

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6445088.html


ATF says Gallery Furniture fire in north Houston was arson
By DALE LEZON Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle
May 28, 2009, 11:51AM

The massive fire last week that destroyed the warehouse at Gallery Furniture’s main location on the North Freeway was intentionally set, an official said today.

Rob Elder, assistant special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms office in Houston, said the agency determined the fire was arson because all possible accidental causes had been ruled out, including a faulty generator that was initially suspected.

"Someone out there knows what happened that night, and we’re going to find them," Elder said in a news conference today. No one has been ruled out as a suspect, said Elder, who declined to reveal details as to how investigators think the blaze began.

Elder did say the fire started in an area normally not visited by the general public.

The four-alarm fire erupted about 9 p.m. on May 21 and raced through Gallery Furniture's warehouse at 6006 Interstate 45 North. Firefighters were able to keep the fire from spreading to the showroom and no injuries were reported.

Owner Jim McIngvale said at least $5 million in inventory was lost as well as equipment, and Elder said the total loss was between $15 million and $20 million. The store is currently operating solely out of its other location, near the Galleria.

In a prepared statement today, McIngvale asked for help from the public.

"Now that an official investigation has been opened, we have no comment on the matter, except to ask any individual with information that might assist investigators to call Crime Stoppers of Houston immediately at 713-222-TIPS," he said in the statement, which was circulated at the ATF news conference.

The ATF tips line is 1-888-ATF-FIRE.

 

Guess it wasn't Mac.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/breaking/6550855.html