Lincoln pool hall owner: ‘I plan on rebuilding’ after fire

Jan. 19--LINCOLN, Maine -- The owner of the building heavily damaged by a fire early Saturday believes that the structure is not salvageable, but he hopes to rebuild.

"The whole building is junk," said Shooters billiards hall, bar and grill owner David Guthrie of Lincoln on Monday.

Reported shortly before 3 a.m., the fire gutted Creative Blooms & More floral shop, but Lincoln firefighters said they stopped the blaze before it got into Shooters at the opposite end of the building at 222 West Broadway.

Guthrie, however, said that the combination of the loss of heating to the building, roof and wall damage, water damage to the radiant heat system in the floor and general exposure to the elements will leave the building uninhabitable. The kitchen area, bar and some furniture can probably be saved, he said.

Insurance adjusters will visit the site Tuesday or Wednesday, said Guthrie.

"I plan on rebuilding. I plan on making it bigger and better," Guthrie said of Shooters, which opened in late 2004 under a different owner.

About 40 firefighters from five towns battled the blaze. Firefighters said the fire did not appear to be of suspicious origin. Investigator John Wardwell of the Maine state fire marshal's office visited the building on Saturday and continues to investigate, Fire Marshal Joe Thomas said Monday.

The fire left seven people unemployed between the two establishments, their owners said.

Friends of floral shop owner Heather Austin of East Millinocket are fundraising to help her re-launch her business. Her friend and a part-time floral designer at the store, Carmen Aquilina Rancourt, created a GoFundMe page, "Rebuild Creative Blooms Florist," that as of 6 p.m. Monday had raised $200 of its $10,000 goal.

Austin worked long hours and brought great creativity to her establishment, which she opened about six years ago, Rancourt said.

"We have many people who would bring items into the store, and we would say, 'What can we do with this?' and she would come up with something amazing," Rancourt said. "People would bring in heirlooms and want her to create something with them and she would, something they could keep again. She updated them, made them lovely."

Austin also said that she lacked insurance. When she opened the store, Austin said she faced a terrible dilemma -- whether to pay for fire insurance or to pay for liability insurance to cover her employees, she said.

"Maine is supposed to be so business-friendly. It's not. It is hard to run a small business in Maine. You have to pick and choose what you do," Austin said. "You have to put people on the books and pay correctly and pay liability insurance for people working for you instead of paying for insurance on your life or on your business."

Austin expressed pride in the work she put into her business, saying she hadn't had a good vacation in years and typically worked six-day weeks. Her customers, she said, were family, as evidenced by the 90 expressions of goodwill and remorse expressed on her Facebook page.

"Heather, you guys are the best there is and Lincoln needs your service. Sorry to hear this and I hope you reopen bigger and better than ever. You have a ton of fans in this area," one said.

"Thinking of you and your staff today, always so helpful and your work is simply beautiful. Please let us know if there is anything your community can do," another said.

Austin said she hopes to reopen but much will depend on Guthrie's plans.

"You don't make a lot of money in the floral industry. You do it because you love it and because you can make a living at it. You're not going to become a billionaire. You do it because you love what you do," Austin said.

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