5 takeaways from Framingham business owners who have experienced destructive fire

Jul. 31--NATICK -- Nancy Kelley and Jill Hourihan are both determined to rebuild her businesses.

Kelley lost her dance studio, which operated from 7 Pond St. for 35 years until Monday's fire destroyed eight businesses on one downtown block. Fire Chief Mike Lentini told the Daily News last week that the source is "undetermined," and may never be known.

"I'm getting there. I will find another place," Kelley said.

Kelley prefers to stay in Natick, despite saying that rents are expensive. Jill Hourihan also wants to stay in town.

"I don't want to go anyplace else," said Hourihan, owner of Metro Pets, another of the businesses destroyed in Monday's blaze. "(Natick Center) gives me a place and a community. I want to be with my people."

Some know what Kelley and Hourihan are going through, because the circumstances are eerily similar.

An overnight fire on March 11, 2017, wiped out 10 businesses at the Old Path Village strip mall on Concord Street in Framingham.

"(The Natick fire) hits a little too close to home," said Robert Barish, who lost his business in that fire. Now, he and other business owners offer their advice.

* Ten businesses destroyed in Framingham shopping plaza fire

1. Hire an accountant

Barish owns Wicked Chronic, a boutique-style shop that sells counter-culture products, including cannabis accessories. Now on Rte. 9 in Natick, it took Barish less than four months to land there after the Old Path Village fire.

He says to hire an accountant to help get the maximum payout from insurance companies when filing damage claims.

"(Accountants) work for us. (Insurance companies) don't want to give you money," Barish said.

Like Barish, Lisa Cabral, who lost her cosmetics business in the 2017 Framingham fire, said it's important to hire someone to fight with the insurance companies. Cabral discovered she didn't have enough insurance, so she lost money. But, she got some she didn't expect after hiring a private adjuster.

"It's like déj... vu," said Cabral. Five months after the fire in Framingham, she opened LisaKen Salon & Spa and Merle Norman Cosmetics on Rte. 9 in Southborough.

* A year later: Framingham fire businessowners awaiting insurance money

* Framingham plaza being rebuilt after massive 2017 fire

2. Take the moment to re-evaluate

Karen Fiore owns J&M Diner on Rte. 9 in Framingham. Like Barish, she lost her business in the Old Path Village fire, and it took eight months to fix up her new space before reopening.

* J&M Diner to reopen on Rte. 9 in Framingham

Fiore suggested that Natick merchants ask themselves questions. Do you still love what you do? How can I make a living? And where am I in life, in terms of age and energy?

Honest answers, Fiore said, should clarify a path forward.

Barish agrees business owners should assess their desire to keep going. If the decision is to march ahead then they should start looking for a new location right away. He said one of the focuses could be creating a deal with a temporary space that leaves the open the door for moving back to the original location of the business after the area is rebuilt.

3. Make connections with those in power

Barish also recommends reaching out to state lawmakers who represent Natick, or whichever town you're thinking of relocating to, in order to expedite getting permits and licenses; and find a new landlord with compassion, which could result in a flexible lease.

* PHOTOS: 8-alarm fire destroys businesses in Natick

On Friday, some business owners met with state Rep. David Linsky, D-Natick; Senate President Karen Spilka, D-Ashland; state Sen. Becca Rausch, D-Needham; and other state officials to discuss access to resources and counseling.

"They were very proactive taking up our cause, and trying to take care of us," said Hourihan.

4. Create a community of those affected

Barish had one other piece of advice: Form a private Facebook page so businesses can share information, such as contacts for accountants.

"That's a wonderful idea," Kelley said. "We're all in the same boat, and when someone is hurting, we can rally for them."

* Tears and determination: Fire in Natick doesn't deter a longtime business owner

5. Think positive and keep the energy up

The bottom line for Cabaral was to think positive, no matter how difficult the circumstances

"Everything will fall into place," she said. "Before, we rented. Now we have a lease to buy, and a bigger spot. In the long run, we came out better."

Hourihan is a believer in thinking positive. She spends part of every day since Monday's fire talking with friends about the positive energy in Natick.

She and others channeled those positive vibes to erect an artistic banner Thursday on the Natick Common, right across from her burned-down business. It says, "We Burn Brighter."

* South Main Street building fire in Natick 'was eerie' as it burned for more than 11 hours

"If we can take this energy and make something beautiful out of it, then why not?" Hourihan asked.

Kelley also prefers to keep Monday's fire in perspective.

"Horrific event" is how she describes it, not a tragedy.

A real tragedy, she said, occurred when a drunk driver killed her brother, Arthur Kelley, and his fiancée in 1985.

"My dance studio was in the same spot for 35 years, and I still live in Natick, in the same house I grew up in," Kelley said. "Natick comes together."

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Henry Schwan is the health reporter for the MetroWest Daily News. Follow Henry on Twitter @henrymetrowest. He can be reached at hschwan@wickedlocal.com or 508-626-3964.

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