RE-OPENING
Rising from the ashes
A year after the fire, Wheatons reopens in Berwick.
Garnet Wheaton greeted customers with a warm smile as he held the door open for the first round of patrons entering his family’s iconic home décor store one year after the original location burned to the ground.
Customers could be seen lining up in front of the new Commercial Street location across from the Berwick fire hall in the moments leading up to the highly anticipated reopening of Wheaton’s at 9:30 a.m. May 12.
For the store’s owners, Garnet and Kay Wheaton, the cheerful morning was a stark contrast to the reality they faced last May.
“We’re thrilled because a year ago we were feeling really devastated and challenged,” said Kay, referring to the Mother’s Day blaze that destroyed the original Wheaton’s location on Shaw Road on May 8, 2016.
The couple stressed support from the community motivated them to rebuild.
“That was just amazing to see that people cared as much as they did, and that people rallied around us. We were so thankful. That was an amazing experience for us to feel the support of the community,” said Kay.
“We didn’t really expect that.”
Individuals overseeing the rebuild worked tirelessly to ensure the Berwick store, and attached Cider Press Café, would be back in business as soon as possible.
“We’ve worked really hard for a whole year to pull this together,” said Garnet, adding that Wheaton’s employees and suppliers deserve a lot of credit.
“It’s just great to see it all come together, and actually cross the finish line.”
The new, one-level store boasts a bright and spacious open concept layout. It’s modern, and a clear deviation from the old wooden barn that housed the original Wheaton’s store just outside of town.
But it still feels like home to long-time customer Brenda Garber.
“When it burned that weekend it was just devastating for us,” said Garber, who lives near the original Wheaton’s location.
“We sat on the veranda and I actually cried. I just felt like part of the community was gone when we watched that fire going, and it burned so fast. It was really sad. My children bought my chimes for Mother’s Day from there the day before it burned.”
Garber has been a Wheaton’s customer since its early beginnings as a small, homebased business.
“When Kay opened I used to shop when she had just a few little sheep and popcorn cans upstairs. In her entrance to her house there was little stairs and you went upstairs, and that’s when I first started going,” recalled Garber.
“They’re wonderful people, wonderful neighbours.”
Aside from having a soft spot for country décor, Garber said it’s the atmosphere at Wheaton’s that’s made her a repeat customer for all of these years.
And that, Garber added, has not changed.
“It feels like you’re going home when you stop in.”