Several businesses affected by last week’s fire at a Fredericksburg shopping center remain closed while the investigation continues and city officials explore ways to help.
Perfect Ten Nails, a laundromat, a U.S. Post Office branch, A Stitch in Time and Play It Again Sports were all seriously affected by the Thursday fire at Fredericksburg’s Eagle Village shopping center off U.S. 1. The Salvation Army Family Store and a WeightWatchers studio were also affected, though not as seriously.
All businesses have remained closed and off-limits while the Fredericksburg Fire Marshal’s Office investigates the cause, and contractors and engineers assess the damage and structural integrity of the building. Post Office staff were allowed to briefly enter their space to unload mail still inside; customers were being directed to the downtown Post Office. Yellow tape remained up all around the building Tuesday to keep people out.
Two images from inside A Stitch in Time show damage from the fire. (Photos courtesy of A Stitch in Time).
Perfect Ten Nails owner Kenny Nguyen said Tuesday that he hasn’t received any updates about the status of the investigation, and they haven’t been able to get back into the space to assess damage.
“Nobody can get in, and we don’t know what is going on,” he said.
Nguyen added that the business is looking for a temporary space.
Some of the affected businesses posted on social media in the aftermath of the fire.
Play it Again Sports, which is owned by Michael and Janel Donohue, posted on Facebook: “While Janel and I are in shock or disbelief or you can fill in your own adjective here, we are doing ok. We are at the point of just making phone calls and then waiting for phone calls. Within this next week I will have a better feel of what we need. We just ask for prayers of peace not for just us, but the other business owners too.”
The WeightWatchers studio posted: “Our hearts are broken but what we know for sure is that our community is so strong because of each other. Stay close and we will keep everyone posted.”
At a special meeting Monday morning, the Fredericksburg Economic Development Authority created a line item to establish grant funding for disasters “like what just happened at Eagle Village,” EDA Chair Beth Black said.
The grants were the brainchild of Amy Peregoy, a longtime staffer in the city’s Economic Development and Tourism office.
“She saw the destruction from the fire and thought that the EDA was in a position where it could help,” said Black of Peregoy.
For grant purposes, the EDA is going by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) definition of disaster, which includes fire, flood and explosions among other catastrophes. Grant amounts will be dependent on available cash from the EDA’s multi-use opportunity fund, Black said.
Following Monday’s unanimous vote, the EDA must now set the criteria for businesses to take advantage of grant funding. That process shouldn’t take more than a week, Black said.
“We have worked closely with city staff to get contact info and help these people,” she said.
Managing Editor Joey LoMonaco contributed to this report.
