A fire on Oct. 25 allegedly started during construction in a vacant space at the former site of Café Joelle in Sayville and quickly spread to nearby buildings, affecting Paper Doll Vintage Boutique, Crushed Olive, Boris Barber Shop, Sayville Running Company, Counseling Office of Adrian Fields & Associates and Hammer & Stain.
Right after the fire, the Greater Sayville Chamber of Commerce sprang into action, temporarily relocating the impacted businesses, advertising, procuring signage and creating the Main Street Fire Relief Fund, which has raised $108,000 to date.
Pivoting at a moment’s notice
Hammer & Stain is able once again to host workshops in the back of the shop, for which they were able to build temporary walls and isolate their electrical system.
“We had to get through a checklist of things to be able to open up the back end of the studio to operate just our workshops,” said Bernius.
She recommends making sure you have good insurance that covers damages, and also, in the event of a disaster, staying flexible.
“That happened on Friday. By Sunday we were back up and running workshops at another location,” Bernius said. “We set up a temporary shop with friends. It’s really just being able to pivot and to just keep going.”
Despite the recent damages sustained at its Sayville shop, Hammer & Stain is still on track to expand with a second location in the new Station Yards development in Ronkonkoma.
With its goal of supporting local businesses, Station Yards was thrilled when Hammer and Stain chose to join our community, said Meaghan Coughlan Treat, development manager for the mixed-used development.
“Shortly after signing their lease, they faced the challenge of a fire at their Sayville location,” Coughlan Treat said. “Despite this setback, Sandra’s resilience and determination have been inspiring. She has not only continued with her expansion plans at Station Yards but also actively participated in our events, building a strong presence in Ronkonkoma. We are honored to support such an exceptional small business owner and can’t wait to see Hammer and Stain thrive at Station Yards.”
Read the full article in Long Island Business News.
