An empty store became cause for relief for the employees of the Little Five Points Pharmacy at 11:30 a.m. on March 11, when employee Eleanor Walker smelled smoke wafting in from Eye Etc., an eye-care shop located in between the pharmacy and My Dry Cleaner.
“Someone came in and shouted, ‘The building’s on fire!’” Walker said. “I was never scared for my life, but I was scared the building was gonna burn down, thinking, y’know, ‘What do I grab?’”
According to the incident report prepared by the Atlanta Fire Department, the fire began due to an electrical problem in My Dry Cleaner, which is two doors down from the pharmacy. More than 60 firefighters battled the blaze until 4:40 p.m. as a crowd of onlookers gathered.
No one was injured, and the building, 484 Moreland Ave., home to neighborhood favorites including the pharmacy and Savage Pizza, remained standing. But more than a week after the fire, businesses were still struggling to rebuild.
Ira Katz, the owner of the pharmacy, had just landed in Atlanta on a flight from Memphis, Tenn. when Walker called him and described what had happened. Katz said he drove to the building as quickly as possible.
“I saw eight or nine fire trucks in the parking lot,” Katz said. “They wouldn’t let me in my store, and I was an unhappy camper.”
My Dry Cleaner was severely damaged by the fire and efforts to extinguish it. The pharmacy, as well as Eye Etc., suffered significant smoke and water damage, said a representative of Blackmon Mooring, the restoration company hired to clean up the property.
Scott Pendergrast, the owner of the building, said he is hopeful the insurance companies will cover all the repair costs.
“I’ve never had a fire before, so this is all a learning experience for me,” Pendergrast said.
Until the AFD and each store’s insurance company completes their investigations, the total cost of the fire will remain unclear.
Jason Lee, son of My Dry Cleaner owner Jeongmin Lee, said the dry cleaner’s insurance company was working with the AFD to determine the cause of the fire and develop a plan to rebuild and reopen.
The Lees salvaged their computer hard drive from the wreckage and are trying to contact each person who had clothes inside the building. All of the clothes were damaged beyond repair by smoke and water, but Lee said customers will be compensated.
“We hired a private company that evaluated the customers’ stuff,” Lee said. “They’re the ones who decide how much, say, a sweater you bought three years ago for $100 is worth now.”
Many customers realized what happened when they drove into the parking lot to pick up their dry cleaning.
“A couple of people have come to get their dry cleaning and [have] been really upset there was a fire,” parking lot attendant Adam McNeil said.
Sophomore Becca Martin lived close to My Dry Cleaner until 2011, and her mother patronized it frequently.
“I think it’s sad because they were there for so long,” Martin said.
Lee said the space has housed a dry cleaner for 27 years. He believes its longevity has contributed to customer loyalty, which has persisted after the fire.
“They know we’re a family business, so they feel sorry [the fire] happened and try to understand as much as possible,” Lee said.
Eye Etc. was closed for about a week and a half for repairs. Despite its smoke and water damage, the pharmacy remained open every day but had to close early, at 3 p.m. instead of 6 p.m. each day for a week after the fire. Katz also noticed a decline in customer traffic, which he attributed to the fact that the cleanup crews and dumpsters took up about a third of the parking lot.
“Not to say that I won’t get [the revenue] back, but you never know,” Katz said.
Junior Caitlin Lochridge was at home on March 11 when her mother called her to say there had been a fire in Little Five Points. She drove past it later that day.
“The first thing I thought when I saw the fire [at Eye Etc.] is ‘I’m sure glad I stocked up on my contact solution,’” Lochridge said.
Although the fire caused mayhem and profit losses for the affected businesses, Walker did see one bright side: cleaning up after the fire made the store, well, cleaner.
“We’re getting new carpet and they put in new ceiling tiles,” Walker said. “We’re going to have a nicer store.”
