Storytime Bookshop in Kennewick, Wash., is closed temporarily after suffering smoke damage Tuesday morning from a fire at a nearby restaurant. The Tri-City Herald reported that the owners of neighboring businesses, including the bookstore, "were on the scene. It appears there may be some smoke odors affecting the shops. Once it's safe, investigators will be able to go inside to figure out where the fire started and what caused it."
Storytime Bookshop owner Lorelei Kennedy was worried about how smoke might have affected the store, which had just relocated to this space last October. The Herald noted that her store's wall is next to the restaurant's kitchen. A firewall had been recently installed, but the construction left cracks where smoke got through, she said.
"I'm just trying to stay calm and take the information as I get it," she added. "I'm concerned, but I'm trying to stay calm." She expected they will have to deep clean to deal with the smell of the smoke. She is also worried how this might impact the entire area. "This time of year is really slow, and this year has been extra, extra slow," she noted.
"We've had a lot of discussions with the Kennewick Fire Department, and they and the Pasco Fire Department have been so wonderful in so many ways," Kennedy told Apple Valley News Now. "They made sure that they were communicating with us all day long. When we were speaking with one of those fellows, he said, you know, you were just minutes from that fire coming through the restaurant, into your building..... Well, we've already been shut down since Tuesday morning and will continue to be shut down sort of indefinitely until we get the insurance process started."
Yesterday, the bookstore posted an update on its Instagram page: "On Tuesday morning, the block that Storytime Bookshop resides experienced a fire that has affected several businesses. Our direct neighbors, El Tequilas, have a total loss of business and our hearts are broken for them. Our shop has smoke damage and a covering of soot that must be cleaned from everything and any repairs needed as they are found. Both Earth Spirit and JDs Time have smoke damage--Earth Spirit is closed temporarily as well.
"This is still the early stage, and all we know is that we'll be closed for a while. Your support still matters as we move through this as a community. If you'd like to support the bookshop you can do that through bookshop.org and/or Libro.fm. We receive a percentage of the purchase price and these businesses are set up to help independent bookstores like ours succeed.... More ways to support and updates soon. Love, Lorelei, Jason, and the Puppets."