Precison Print & Copy’s old space in Paterson remains fenced off, awaiting demolition day. (BizSense file)
It’s been nearly four months since a fire destroyed the office building at 10615 Patterson Avenue, forcing the evacuation of several local small businesses.
And after pondering the future, wrestling with insurance companies and searching for space, at least some businesses are finding new homes and getting back to business as usual.
Precision Print & Copy, a 30-year-old commercial printing company that had been a longtime tenant in Paterson’s Canterbury Green retail and office district before the devastating fire in late January, is moving into new space nearby. We have reopened and are open for business.
Co-owner Rhonda Tanneer said business had been shut down for nearly two months while she searched for a new home and ordered new equipment needed to fully reopen.
Precision’s new space at John Rolfe Commons.
It landed in a former Amish furniture store next to the Publix at 2260 John Rolfe Parkway in John Rolfe Commons. The shopping center’s landlord is Wilton Kos, the same locally based company as Patterson.
Tanir, who co-owns the business with her husband, TJ, said Precision moved into the new space in March. She said she’s happy to have reopened and orders are coming in, but she’s still recovering.
The fire destroyed the client’s art files kept for repeat orders, and many orders were put on hold. He said the business is still playing catch-up and, hopefully, waiting to see how many of the 300 customers he had before the layoffs return with new orders or have gone elsewhere. He said he is doing so. Precision does a lot of printing for churches, schools, nonprofits, restaurants, and other small businesses.
“It is too early to tell what this disruption will mean for us as far as our customer database is concerned,” Tanir said. “We’ve had a lot of cases for a very long time, and it’s so backlogged that it’s hard to tell if they’ll be cleared.”
But Tanir said there is reason to be optimistic.
First, she said the insurance helped because the company was “over-insured” and ordered $250,000 in new equipment and supplies.
“Our insurance company was really responsive,” she said.
Next, Tanir said she is enjoying her new space and environment. Canterbury Green was an older complex with small windows and not much to see around it. That changed for the better with John Rolfe Commons.
“It’s a much better view, if you will. We’re looking out the big windows at the blue sky and green grass,” she said.
Finally, Tanir said he is optimistic that the new location will not only bring in previous customers, but also encourage new business.
“I hope the new location will recreate what we lost,” she said.
Rachel Duke relocates
Rachel Duke and Luna’s space after the fire.
One of Precision’s customers is a former architecture buddy of Patterson’s who is also in rebuilding mode.
Rachel Duke, whose eponymous clinic offers Botox and other injectable treatments, has reopened in a new space at Short Pump.
Duke had moved into the Patterson building just seven months before the fire, occupying a suite she shared with Chelsea Martin’s Luna Aesthetics & Spa. The couple spent about $175,000 to furnish their room.
Duke said she and Martin moved to a nearby co-working space, Balance, to start reaching out to customers and bring in at least some revenue for a while after the fire.
Rachel King (left) and Chelsea Martin.
But Duke needed a more permanent space. She said she was lucky with her neighbor connections and ended up renting 1,200 square feet of extra office space in the West Creek office of Virginia Oculofacial Surgeons at 1630 Wilkes Ridge Parkway. Ta.
Duke said the office is basically move-in ready and has provided her with space for two treatment rooms with a reception and preparation area. She moved in in March. Her only drawback is the increase in rent.
“The biggest slap in the face I had to realize was the rent,” Duke said. “(The old space in Patterson) was in an older building, so the rent was very reasonable. I pay a pretty high rent (in Wilkes Ridge), but I make business decisions based on the needs of my patients. I had to put it down.”
Duke said she has gone back to employing two nurses and a receptionist, adding that Martin, formerly of Suites, will remain with Balance and Luna has three employees.
Duke said she was among the “underinsured” tenants of the Patterson Building and was fighting with her insurance company to get compensation for equipment and property lost in the fire.
“There were days when I thought, ‘Oh, do I want to keep working to rebuild everything?'” Duke said.
She said she has been able to make progress so far with the support of customers and industry colleagues.
“What kept me going was the little notes and care packages I received from colleagues in the community,” she said. “It was very refreshing to see patients sending us warm messages and words of encouragement.”
Annie Mae and Wes begin to recover
Annie Mae and Wes’ suite days after the fire. The front door is painted red.
Brady Zizzo said customer support is also keeping her spirits up, with some businesses coming in while she and her company Annie Mae & Wes work to rebuild after the fire. He said he was there.
Annie Mae & Wes makes hair ribbons for cheerleaders, a niche that helped the company rank on the RVA 25 list of the region’s fastest-growing companies last year.
After the fire, Zizzo, like Duke, found himself underinsured and wondered how he could reopen and keep his dozens of employees employed.
While Zizzo filled some orders from home, her business didn’t have a dedicated space for about a month.
Brady Zizzo attended last year’s RVA 25 awards ceremony.
With the help of Andy Walsh of Sugar Oak Realty, Zizzo eventually found a new space for his bow manufacturing and shipping operations at the corner of Patterson Avenue and Lauderdale Drive.
She says the space is a little smaller and costs about twice as much as her previous office, but it will give her what she needs to start getting back ready for the bow industry’s busy season, which runs from mid-May to September. he said.
“We’re really happy there,” Zizzo said. “The best thing for me was that people were really supportive. I don’t think we lost a lot of customers. I think we’re OK.”
Zizzo hopes the fire wasn’t enough of a setback to prevent Annie & Wes from regaining its spot on the RVA 25 list.
“It definitely knocked me down some nails. But I’m optimistic,” she said. “I definitely learned a lot about insurance and having to start over.
“I feel like I’m coming back from my illness a little bit,” she said of her recovery from the fire. “I feel fine, but I don’t feel like going for a jog yet. The important thing from the beginning was to open up, because when you open up, you can heal.”
