Carpets are being cleaned, windows washed and merchandise readied as downtown businesses prepare to reopen after last week’s fire.
Many of the businesses surrounding the two buildings destroyed in the fire have reopened, and others are working feverishly to reopen as soon as possible. Some of the businesses located in the E.L. Lewis Block and the Hamly Block are working on relocation plans.
“Most of them want to stay in downtown New West. In fact, I haven’t talked to anyone who doesn’t,” said Kendra Johnston, executive director of the Downtown New Westminster Business Improvement Area. “It’s just a matter of trying to find appropriate space, whether it’s temporary or permanent, and in the meantime trying to help them sort out insurance issues and that kind of stuff. Of course, there is a lot of emotion in that. For some there is no rush, they are still processing; for some it’s a difficult decision to make.”
Firefighters hadn’t even left the fire scene in the 600 block of Columbia Street and offers of assistance were coming from the community.
“To me the magic is everybody in New Westminster is coming together for their colleagues,” said Cori-Lynn Germiquet, executive director of the New Westminster Chamber of Commerce. “This demonstrates a really strong business community.”
The chamber and the BIA are compiling lists of the types of service being offered, which includes office space, use of restaurants and other locations for fire-relief benefits, computer and mail services, free location space, de-stressing services for people going through trauma, use of vehicles and more. Musicians have offered their services for fire-relief benefits, while Fire Chief Tim Armstrong has offered to make firefighters and fire trucks available for events.
“It’s such an incredible thing to see everybody coming together in a situation like this,” Johnston told The Record. “This is why we love New West.”
Germiquet agreed that it’s been amazing to watch businesses from across the city come together to support the downtown.
“The response from the business community has been overwhelming,” she said. “It is holistic in nature. It’s not just businesses from a particular area of New Westminster. We have businesses from Queensborough, Sapperton, uptown, West End – they all recognize that geography doesn’t matter, it matters that colleagues of theirs in the business community need some assistance and they are there to help. To me that is phenomenal.”
The New Westminster Chamber of Commerce has partnered with Westminster Savings to set up a Downtown New Westminster Fire Relief Fund to help businesses affected by last week’s fire. Any funds raised or donated can be deposited into the account at any branch of Westminster Savings (account #452538201).
The chamber is assembling a committee whose members will review proposed terms of reference and criteria, and begin the process of receiving requests.
The chamber and the BIA are also compiling lists of people wanting to contribute or donate services, and will communicate the type of services and assistance available to businesses.
“We are keeping track of all the resources. As we are talking to businesses we are trying to match up what they need with offers of help,” Johnston said. “For the general public, I’d say within the next week to two weeks there will be a few fundraising events announced that will be happening. That will be a great way for them to get together and support the efforts down here.”
In addition to the 23 businesses located in the two buildings destroyed by the fire, an additional 25 were impacted by issues such as smoke and soot damage.
“There are probably half a dozen businesses that haven’t been able to reopen and are still standing. They are all in the process of getting cleaned up and looking to reopen within the next week to 10 days,” Johnston said. “That’s amazing.”
Johnston is equally amazed by the outpouring of support from people wanting to help out.
“For me, the main message I am trying to get out is that the rest of downtown New Westminster is open for business,” she said. “People are comparing the fire to the Great Fire of 1898 and that sort of magnitude and it has scared a lot of people away. I still have 300 other member businesses down here open and ready to serve customers.”
The fire, which began about 3:45 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 10, sent flames soaring into the sky and smoke and ashes through the area. New Westminster police and fire departments continue to investigate the cause of the fire.
“It’s hard to say,” said Deputy Fire Chief John Hatch, when asked about the likelihood of determining a cause.
