The Willow Glen Resident

Casa Casa postpones re-opening once again

Owners continue repairs after fire

By Christine Frey

Instead of the usual embroidered pillows and picture frames, the windows at Casa Casa on Lincoln Avenue are filled with white butcher paper. A large handwritten message posted on the storefront is the only indication of activity within. "Thank you, Willow Glen, for your continuing support and kindness," it reads. "We are still here, working fast and furiously to get Casa Casa open by mid-July. See you soon!"

Casa Casa, which suffered damage from an electrical fire May 31, has postponed its re-opening for the third time. Owner Meg Yeargain says she'll hopes to be back in business by July 16, after her contractor makes repairs and she replaces damaged merchandise.

"We had no idea that it would take this long," Yeargain said.

When store owners locked the front door of Casa Casa at 5:30 p.m. the evening of Saturday, May 30, they did not expect to return on Sunday--a day when the store is usually closed. But nearly 12 hours later a blaze began in the store, forcing co- owners Yeargain and Nancy Biagini to make an unexpected visit.

The building's alarm system and Manuel Barragan, a baker at neighboring Le Boulanger, notified firefighters of the blaze at about 5:20 a.m. Firefighters prevented the conflagration from consuming the store and spreading to other buildings, but not before some damage was done. The smoke from the blaze blackened the store's red, gold and green walls and destroyed some of the delicate linens and other merchandise.

Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the fire, which was believed to have been sparked by an electrical complication--possibly, Yeargain says, by a power strip that had been turned off. "There was nothing we could have done to prevent the fire," she said.

Despite the anticipated month-and-a-half-long closure, Yeargain is optimistic about the store's ability to recover from the blaze. She receives about 20 calls a day from patrons anxious for Casa Casa's re-opening. "We're not worried about losing customers. We miss our customers and we just want to be back in business," she said.

Making the best of their misfortune, Yeargain and Biagini are taking the opportunity to remodel their store, which has not had a makeover since its opening six years ago. Biagini declined to describe the store's new look, saying, "We really want to introduce the whole thing all at once, so we're really trying to keep it as a surprise."

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