The Bizarre Yet Wholesome Story Of A Fish Chair And A Tattoo

September 22, 2020

The serendipitous journey of an unusual chair found in a Baltimore thrift store is bringing joy to people all over the world.

fish chair in Baltimore
via Facebook

Thea Lenna was searching for light fixtures earlier this month when she happened upon a fish chair with a price tag of $740.

She snapped a photo of the chair and posted it on a popular Facebook group named "Weird Secondhand Finds That Just Need To Be Shared."

Emily DelFavero, one of the group's many members who lives in Syracuse, saw the post and was stunned.

She had the same exact chair tattooed on her leg.

baltimore fish chair tattoo
Emily DelFavero

But Emily never owned the chair. She saw it once and felt compelled to get it tattooed on her.

"That's the fate about it," Emily said. "I saw that chair and it was everything for me."

So, Emily posted a photo of her tattoo in the comments section of the Facebook post.

fish chair tattoo
Members of the Facebook group who joined the journey

The group went wild. Hundreds of members of the group felt a call to action.

A GoFundMe page raised the funds for the chair in less than 24 hours. Members began volunteering to drive the chair from Baltimore to Syracuse -- a total of 330 miles.

Drivers arranged pickup locations to pass along the chair.

fish chair baltimore

"Seeing this group of people from all over the world saying nothing but positive things, it just made me forget about everything bad we've all been living through," said member Rosita Smith. "Being able to do something for a complete stranger, while simultaneously touching the lives of so many other people and helping them with their mental health, has been overwhelming."

The chair arrived to its final destination on Monday, a process that united a whole group of strangers in a single act of kindness.

fish chair news story
Emily DelFavero

"Everyone has a uniquely tailored story about what this means to them," DelFavero said. "They're all expressing deep, personal stories to me. They've had a lot of sadness over these last months, and now the chair has brought them light and happiness. So many of the women on this journey have encountered abusive relationships, and this chair has brought people together for happiness, for good."

Watch the video below.