‘It’s just quite the process;’ Business has extensive smoke, water damage after downtown fire
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‘It’s just quite the process;’ Business has extensive smoke, water damage after downtown fire
Eva on Main Street requires substantial cleaning and restoration following the fire. Chef Charlie Perry said he’s been told it could be three months before Eva reopens. Carson Kitchen staff is trying to help out restaurants like Eva following fire. Downtown Alliance is $24,000 away from reaching goal of $500,000 for fire victims’ fund.. London Belle, White Horse and Whiskey Street are also open and could use support.. Cheers to You, Felt and other restaurants on the block are open and in need of donations.. The Downtown Alliance will pay out all of the funds by the end of the month, the Downtown Alliance said. The fire destroyed Los Tapatios, which was destroyed in the fire, as well as London Belle and White Horse.
Eva shares a wall with Los Tapatios, which was destroyed in the fire, along with London Belle, White Horse and Whiskey Street.
Owner and chef Charlie Perry said he’s been told it could be three months before Eva reopens. He’s hoping for Oct. 1.
“Take down the drywall, clean all that, put new up and then they start cleaning everything and sealing all that in because we can’t have any of the particles and smoke and chemicals,” Perry said. “None of it can be here. So it’s just quite the process.”
The flames came dangerously close to his 16-year-old restaurant. Lingering smoke has been an issue ever since.
“You couldn’t come in here without a mask,” he said. “It would just burn your lungs.”
Perry said one of the saddest parts was throwing out the carefully crafted food.
“There’s so much love put into a product, it’s sad to see it just thrown away,” Perry said. “It’s not like throwing away a box of potatoes. It’s so much more when the labor and the effort in making this stuff, and I don’t know how to even quantify that.”
Though his building was spared, the cleanup is extensive. Perry said parts of the walls and flooring will have to be replaced. There’s a hole in the ceiling from water damage.
Perry said he’s holding onto his staff and hoping the insurance works out.
Around the corner, Carson Kitchen staff is trying to help out restaurants like Eva following the fire.
General Manager Bob Boyland said 100% of the profits from Aug. 18-24 will be donated to the Main Street Fire Employee Assistance Fund, which benefits 200 employees at five restaurants, including Eva.
“There’s a person behind that story that really has a need,” Boyland said. “They’re usually not making a lot of money there; they kind of live paycheck to paycheck.”
He said, in times like these, it’s not about competition.
“The staff did a really good job there,” Boyland said. “It was always busy and it just it was a fun place to go, so we want to support that and kind of be part of that.”
Boyland said supporting another downtown business helps the community as a whole.
“We’ve got a resume in here from one of the people that worked there, probably will be giving him a phone call and trying to invite him on to the staffing because we know there’s a need,” he said.
Dee Brewer with the Downtown Alliance said, as of today, they’re $24,000 away from reaching the $500,000 goal.
He said the George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation will match every donation made this week.
The Downtown Alliance will pay out all of the funds by the end of the month. This week, 120 employees received their first check.
Brewer said they encourage people to go to Cheers to You, Felt and other open restaurants on the block. He said London Belle’s sister restaurant, Pleiku and White Horse’s sister restaurant, Franklin Avenue, are also open and could use support.
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