North Hollywood businesses damaged in blaze hoping to bounce back

Jun. 22--Earlier this month, Ethan Cohen watched helplessly as smoke engulfed the coffee shop that he and a partner grew into one of North Hollywood Arts District's more popular hangout spots.

Joe Coffee, which suffered smoke and water damage, was among five businesses on Lankershim Boulevard, that were taken out in one fell swoop by an early morning blaze on June 10.

The coffee shop and District Pub, the grastropub next door, were the luckier ones. Both were yellow-tagged by the building and safety department, and are expecting to re-open in two or three few months.

"We're lucky the structure of our suite is intact, which is more than what we can say for others," Cohen said. "We still have walls, we still have a roof."

The fire, which was concentrated in an attic, caused the roof to collapse on some of the businesses, the fire department said. The fire was still under investigation and a cause has not yet been determined, Fire Department spokesman Erik Scott said Thursday.

There was also not yet an estimate on the dollar amount of the loss from the fire, he said.

Robert Rostomyan, one of the owners of District Pub, said their restaurant was saved by a brick wall that separated their suite from that of their next door neighbor Chill Rollz, an ice cream shop that was red-tagged after suffering severe fire damage and a partially collapsed roof.

Also red-tagged was one of the street's oldest restaurants, Tokyo Delve's Sushi Bar, a themed eatery and bar that suffered some of the blaze's worst fire damage, as well as a collapsed roof. Juicehouse Juice Pub, also a neighbor of Tokyo Delve's, was also red-tagged, for fire damage and partial roof collapse, according to the building and safety department.

Tokyo Delve's and Chill Rollz both have set up fundraising pages to solicit financial help to rebuild.

The mural of cartoon figures splashed across the front of Chill Rollz was spared, but the interior of the family-owned ice cream shop was destroyed. According to the store's fundraising page, their insurance covers structural damage, but not for equipment.

Patrons and neighbors have approached the businesses following the fire to help clean up, and local groups and officials have also reached out a hand.

Soon after the fire, the office of local L.A. City Councilman Paul Krekorian set up a meeting with the businesses and the state and city's economic development agencies to determine if there are ways to help, said the office's spokeswoman Mehrin Rahman.

Tokyo Delve's, Joe Coffee and District Pub are receiving guidance from the Valley Economic Alliance, a nonprofit that helps businesses get financing to pay for the repairs. The group also helped some of the businesses apply for unemployment benefits for their workers, said Kenn Phillips, the president of the alliance.

"These five places that provide food and entertainment are being missed right now," Phillips said. "When you walk around that area it's really limited on food. It's very much missed. The community has come out to help in any possible way."

Phillips said the more than three decade-old Tokyo Delve's was known for its lively atmosphere and waiters who also served as entertainers.

The business's income depends on booking large get-togethers, he said.

According to Tokyo Delve's Facebook page, the restaurant may take a year and a half or more to recover, and an alternate space is being sought.

District Pub's Rostomyan said he is hoping to retain his existing staff, who he does not want to lose to other restaurants during the down time. He said he is already planning to re-open in a few months time, with entirely new decor and furniture. The existing furnishings was damaged by the heavy smoke that billowed into their space from Chill Rollz and Tokyo Delve's next door.

Meanwhile, Joe Coffee is looking to soften the blow for its baristas, many of them artists who rely on the shop for income as they chase their dreams. The shop's Instagram page includes an announcement that a trailer will be parked in front of their shuttered shop on Saturday and Sunday. Cohen said they will be serving coffee and lattes out of the trailer, which is from a separate catering business he and his partner recently started.

"We're just trying to keep the employees getting paid as much as possible," he said.

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