‘Memories can’t be burned.’ Fresno church looks to rebuild thrift store destroyed by fire

The Cottage Shop was one of the original buildings on the campus of St. James Episcopal Cathedral.

For decades, the thrift store ran in its spot on Dakota Avenue near Cedar Avenue in central Fresno as a small source of income — but a large part of the church’s social ministry.

“It was a way for St. James to outreach and do good in the community, outside of church services,” said Eric De Jong, director of communications for the church.

The store was destroyed early Monday in a fire that threatened but ultimately did not damage any of the buildings on the church property, including the so-called 10th Street Building and the church’s gym, which had only recently been updated with solar panels, De Jong said.

In a video posted on Facebook, the church praised the Fresno Fire Department for its work in putting out the blaze and called the event a “tragedy.”

“We say ‘tragedy’ in quotes because at the end of the day, nobody was hurt, no other property was damaged, and nothing was lost other than the building and the items inside,” the church wrote. The video shows the church’s dean, Samuel Colley-Toothaker, standing in front of the burned-out building, a sign for the thrift shop visible just below the charred roof.

Colley-Toothaker said he was already getting calls and texts from people who had memories of spending time at the shop over the years. The building will be torn down for safety reasons, but rebuilt, he said, and the church will “continue to do the work that the good people who labored in this place for so long have done.”

According to the church, the fire was likely an accident, started by an unhoused person who may have been looking to get warm. While the store was stocked with merchandise at the time of the fire, the church recently held a big sale in anticipation of renovating the building, which was old and in need of revamping, De Jong said.

The fire will move that process forward.

“Things and buildings can be replaced,” he said.

“The memories can’t be burned down.”

The church has set up a fundraiser on its website. Those wanting to help should choose “Thrift Store Fire Rebuild” under the donations tab. The church is not seeking donations for thrift store items at this time, but will eventually need to restock the store and will be looking for volunteers, De Jong said.

This story was originally published February 23, 2022 at 8:49 AM.