Jones, owner of Browse Awhile Books at 118 E. Main St., hasn’t let the June fire in his 1871 building get the better of him.
“These are the books that survived,” Jones said as he and Amanda Carl worked to unpack carton after carton of books and organize them on new shelving being installed throughout the store.
“We are still culling things out but most are OK,” he said noting another 8,000 to 10,000 books are waiting in his Butler Twp. garage for the return home.
Jones said in July reconstruction of the building damaged in the June 20-21 fire would be done by Boone Restoration.
Following the fire, around 150,000 books in the store inventory were removed and checked for water and smoke damage as part of determining what could be salvaged. Books were placed in plastic tubs loaned by local business Amity Mold and stored primarily at Ginghamsburg Church.
Jones said the rebuilding is nearing completion. An exception will be the exterior painting that will wait until the warmer days of spring.
“Boone Restoration has been with us since day one. They have done a fine job, handled all of the subcontracting,” Jones said. “It has gone slower than I would have hoped but probably every bit as quickly as you could expect.”
Jones said there were no structural changes in the building except in an upstairs apartment damaged in the fire. “Outside, because it is in the (historic) district, it is the same to the casual eye,” he said. Among the work have been a new roof, cedar siding and new windows throughout.
The Miami County Building Department has been good to work with and is sensitive to historic buildings and their value to the community, Jones said, adding, “They ensure everything is safe.”
He and Carl have been shelving the books with some assistance but more volunteer help would be welcome.
“Volunteers are gratefully appreciated,” he said, noting there have been many since the night of the fire.
“This wouldn’t happen in a lot of places,” Jones said, thanking the community for its support. “This is a community, it’s not just a town.”
Hopes are the business will be ready to re-open by the end of February.
“I will be a lot happier in six to eight weeks … It is a one step at a time thing,” Jones said. “It was an appalling situation but everybody said, ‘What can we do to make it happen.’ ”
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