Those displaced by April 18 fire reopening in new locations

NEWMAN- Resilience, perseverance and a lot of sweat equity have enabled most of the businesses displaced by a devastating downtown fire in April to reopen in new locations.

The April 18 fire in the IOOF building on the corner of Fresno and Main streets caused extensive damage to all the business tenants, closing down each business until owners could find new locations and replace supplies and equipment.

After the initial shock and draining emotions, the cleaning up and salvaging, the reports, the phone calls and endless business that had to be done with insurance carriers and vendors, there was the task of finding new facilities.

Barely two months after the devastating fire, however, owners of five displaced businesses have opened their doors - or are about to - at new downtown locations.

Hair Krazy has opened at 1221 Main St.

Three businesses will occupy space at 1335 Main St. near West Side Theatre.  Forbus Barber Shop has opened on the first floor and Mountain River Massage has reopened in a second-floor suite. Novoa Jewelers will be opening soon downstairs in the front suite. Atraktionz opened in the same building, but will be moving to their new 1223 Main Street location soon.

The fire happened on a Saturday morning. By Monday morning owners were already making the rounds to scout out potential locations. Location, size, remodeling needs and affordability were all considerations in the search.

Some found a suitable location quickly; others had to search a bit longer to find something that fit their business needs.

Joyce Velarde and Nicole Perry, co-partners of Hair Krazy, were fortunate to have secured a new home for their salon business by the end of the first week. “By Friday after the fire, we knew we had this building,” Velarde reported.

That was just the start, though, as the business owners had to extensively remodel the space to meet their needs. Beyond painting and decorating there was plumbing and electrical work, cement work and wall construction. “The floor was the biggest job to get through, especially the ‘speed bumps’ as we called them,” Velarde shared with a smile. Her husband Brandon Velarde did a lot of the work.

“If it wasn’t for him we wouldn’t be here now,” Perry gratefully acknowledged. The new salon opened for customers a couple weeks ago although some work is still being completed in back rooms.

“I always think things happen for a reason,” Velarde expressed. The initial shock was awful and going through the process of starting anew has been challenging but they have chosen to keep a positive outlook on the situation. “I am happy with the new place, it has a lot more parking and now we have more stations because this place is double the size we had before,” she noted.

Lisa Forbus, owner of Forbus’ Barbershop, opened last week in a smaller space than she previously had on Fresno Street, but is making it work. The new shop in the mall on Main Street took a bit of construction and plumbing work and the lack of street presence isn’t ideal, she said, but it is small enough to afford and big enough to accommodate her work and customers.

Although she got her lease just two weeks after the fire, Forbus said it seemed like forever to her before she was back in business. There was so much to deal with......changing the business license, dealing with the insurance company, cleaning up, buying new equipment or fixing what she could salvage.

The worry of losing her regular customers weighed on her as well. “The first day I opened was pretty busy, the following days were okay, but a bit slower,” she explained. “Once the word gets out business will pick up.”

One of the positive things that came out of the tragedy, she said, was finding hidden treasures while cleaning up, such as a framed article on former owner Red Luick ironically dated April 18, 1985 and a framed photo of her dad Pinky Forbus when he owned the business.

The barber shop on Fresno Street had been in business for many decades, a lot of history adorned the walls so knowing what to grab in the few minutes allowed the morning of the fire was difficult. “The first thing I grabbed was my favorite comic drawing my dad made years ago,” she described. It now hangs on the wall of her new shop, as well as the photos she found and other memorabilia that gives the shop its character. Her lollipop box has been freshly refilled for the kids as well, she noted.

Don Wilton and Miao Liu, owners of Mountain River Massage Center, have set up shop in a second-floor location in the office suite building.

The relatively new business has been in Newman for five months and has had to move three times. That’s discouraging, Wilton said, but his wife is determined to stay in Newman.

Getting people into the shop is key. “It’s just getting people in the door again, letting people know where we are,” Wilton noted.

The fire damaged all their customer records so they have no way to contact them. It’s like starting over for the third time, he said. “We’d be happy if the people in Newman would find us,” he shared.

Attraktionz, a Metro PCS authorized dealer, originally opened in a space in the mall at 1335 Main Street but will be relocating to a Main Street site which previously housed a veterinary clinic.

“We knew if we had to work in a smaller place to keep in business we would do that,” explained store manager Jose Curiel. Their main concerns are visibility and customer convenience, he said.

All the business owners have endured many challenges since the fire took away their businesses. But they all agreed that the only real choice has been to put their best foot forward and move on.

Bob and Patty Novoa of Novoa Jewelers have done just that. They have not been able to open their shop again just yet but are working diligently towards that goal. “We will open as soon as we can,” they assured.

Besides securing their new location in the mall on Main St., doing construction in the space needed by their particular business and buying new equipment and supplies, they have encountered endless delays with repairing or replacing inventory and the custom cases required for the jewelry shop.

“The showcases are custom built. They are not something that can just be picked up at a store somewhere,” Bob Novoa explained. Many of his tools are also custom made which takes extra time. “We are working hard at opening as quickly as possible,” he reiterated

 “I’ve never been burned out of business before. I didn’t know what to expect,” Bob Novoa explained of the mixed emotions they have both experienced since the fire and the work and detail of rebuilding their business. “We’ve been the sole proprietor of the business for 36 years,” he noted.

They have been taking one day at a time, looking at what they can do that particular day and accomplishing what they can.

The business owners commonly expressed their gratitude to the community for the support they have received during such a challenging time.

“I am glad to live in Newman!” Forbus expressed.