I
get so many people asking me what
happened that day, and how did the fire
start so I decided to write a story and
then send people to the web site to read
it. So here’s the story: It will also be
in OSCAR and The Glebe Report.
THE
MUD OVEN SURVIVES A FIRE AND WILL
RE-OPEN ON NOV. 29TH
Have you ever been woken up at 5:30 am
by the Ottawa Police to inform you that
your business had a “major fire” and you
better come down to the store as quickly
as possible to assess the situation.
This happened to me on Saturday Sept.
27th, a day I would like to erase from
my memory. I was hoping it was just a
nightmare, but this was for real. My
heart was racing as I drove quickly to
my contemporary ceramic store that I
established 13 years ago in Old Ottawa
South. When I arrived at my store just
before daybreak, I was aghast at the
scene. All my front windows were smashed
in, including the front door. Jagged
shards of glass sprayed out along Bank
street and yellow police tape was strung
out along the front of the building. The
police held me back from entering as
they had their police dog, a black lab
that had entered the store and was
searching for signs of arson.
Fortunately, my business neighbours were
at the scene, Evelyn and Laura from
Mother Tongue Books, who were great at
calming me down. Several neighbours
brought coffee and muffins, as we stood
in the drizzle.
It
seemed like an eternity before I was
allowed in with the fire inspectors, as
the police had determined it was not
arson. The fire was contained to a small
section in the middle of the store, but
everything was covered in soot. It could
have been a lot worse if not for the
foresight, of Eddy from the Chip wagon
at Bank and Sunnyside. He smelled a lot
of smoke and went over to Quinn’s to
investigate. He turned around and saw
flames in my store, and called 911. Two
fire trucks and twenty firemen came to
the scene and contained the fire before
it spread throughout my store and to
other stores in the plaza. Thank
you Eddy!
After
two days of investigation, the fire
department did not find a definite cause
for the fire, so have written it down as
an “undetermined” cause. It appears to
be an unfortunate accident, and I wish
it did not happen. One thing for sure it
was not the kilns, although many people
think this is the cause. In fact they
are the safest thing in my store, as
they have fire walls built into them,
and they have computers to shut them
down if they go beyond their
temperature.
After a
day of contemplation in the Gatineau
Hills near my home in Chelsea, and
recovering from the shock, plus being
comforted by family and friends, I was
determined to do whatever it takes to
reconstruct the store. I have insurance,
and although they make it a difficult
process, I will make them work hard to
get me up and running as soon as
possible. There was really never any
doubt, as a fire cannot destroy one’s
spirit or enthusiasm for a successful
business in Old Ottawa South. My staff
and I have created a fun and creative
contemporary studio where families and
friends enjoy painting ceramics for all
occasions. We also have a successful
gallery where I have introduced Ottawa
to 130 artists over the years.
I am
busing working with the restoration team
to have it up and running by Friday
December 5th. I am keeping customers
posted of our progress on my web site, www.mudoven.com. You can add your name
to our email list and I will be sending
out weekly updates.
In our
Gallery, our new show with Diane
Woodward will open on Saturday Dec. 6th.
If you haven’t seen Diane’s art before,
you will be pleasantly surprised, as it
is very vibrant and will bring good
karma to my store. Diane also makes
great wiggly fish and Christmas
ornaments, so please join us on Saturday
from 7-9:30 pm. The art show will run
from Dec 6th until January 4th.
We are
looking forward to decorating our store
with holiday decorations and lights and
for you to paint your favourite mug,
plate, Christmas ornament, snowman or
Menorah. I thank my friends and staff
for helping me through this process, and
I especially thank my customers for
their patience to collect their pieces
they painted, or to paint something new.
We can’t wait to show you our
refurbished store. Please join us for
refreshments and door prizes on opening
day!
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