Feb 24, 2004, 1:35 pm US Pacific time
Actually, the fire was upstairs, and we suffered little or no fire damage. However our new store did indeed take a bit of a beating. At approximately midnight today vandals broke into the empty office above our gallery and set fire to it. Fire, alarms immediately went off, sprinkler systems engaged and the fire upstairs was put out. This had the unfortunate consequence of spilling water down thru the ceiling in the front portion of the store (and of course some waterlogged ceiling tiles have come down as a result). How much water damage there is to our stock we aren't completely sure. Most of whats on the walls looks fine... but only time will tell for sure. Additionally, the local fire department had to smash through the front door to check out whether or not fire had spread downstairs, so our front door and its frame are in need of replacement as well.

... So at the moment things are a mess. We began cleaning up immediately, and expect to have the store completely back up to snuff within 10-14 days. This was heartbreaking, and we sincerely appreciate the numerous offers of help and sympathy we have received. We are thankful that this could have been a LOT worse. And here on the web, we're still open! It might take just a bit longer for us to get back to you, given circumstances, but we're here and happy to help you find the perfect gift for your loved one, or a treat for yourself.

UPDATE: FEB 27 2004
After having more time to assess damage, we can see that all of the wallpaper will need to be replaced, most of our music boxes were damaged, and our beautiful Christmas tree will have to be retired. We're still assessing further damage to inventory, but much of the wallboard in the front of the store goes, as does the wood floor in the entry way. We'll see about the rugs. Given the time it will take to get in the required building supplies, our estimate of downtime has been revised to 3 weeks to a month, and perhaps longer. However we will try, by next week, to have our picture framing back in action as the back of the store was not damaged.