Two businesses in downtown Woodstock are still weeks away from getting back to normal after a fire tore through a building last month.
Crews are working to restore the building hit by fire on March 20.
Thrift store Once Again Upscale Retail and bakery Let’s Eat Cake both had significant damage.
Rene Hoelscher built her bakery business from scratch two years ago.
“It feels like I’m starting all over again from the beginning when I first opened this store. It actually is kind of sad though, to see everything...everything torn out,” she says.
Hoelscher lost several thousand dollars’ worth of products. While insurance covers some, the big hit will be in lost business.
“I’m missing out on everyday customers coming in. I'm missing out on Easter, which besides Christmas, it's one of my biggest times of year for sales.”
She says it will be at least another month before she's able to re-open.
The fire started in a storage room containing items belonging to Theatre Woodstock.
The theatre lost thousands of dollars’ worth of set pieces and antiques. With four upcoming shows, crews have been working tirelessly to rebuild sets.
We are rebuilding one day at a time - making small goals for ourselves. Going through the process as a community and as a team,” says Laurie Markham, of Theatre Woodstock.
The store manager at Once Again says it will be at least another month before that business is ready for customers again.
The cause of the blaze has still not been determined, but it's not considered suspicious.
