“It will be quite a while before we can get up and running again" Longford business owners react to fire

Seamus Morris speaks to business owners in Grafton court as they come to terms with the implications of the fire

On Sunday morning several businesses in the heart of Longford town surveyed the wreckage left in the wake of a devastating fire that caused millions of euros of damage.

Owner of Grafters Hair Studio, Pauline Coady Belton, spoke to the Leader about the fallout from the blaze: “It will be quite a while before we can get up and running again. We don’t know what we are dealing with yet,” she stated.
“It is a sad situation. All of the businesses are in this together. However, everyone is safe and that's important,” Pauline added.
Pauline’s well established business employs 13 people in the Grafton Court premises and a further seven people are employed in another hair salon in Carrick-on-Shannon.

“I feel for my staff in this situation, the girls have mortgages to pay,” she stated.
In common with a number of other businesses on the street, the roof collapsed in Pauline’s premises.
“The collapse of the roof has caused huge problems. Overall, our equipment and client records, among other things are affected,” she explained.
For all of the businesses affected, it is too early to quantify the extent of the damage. “The council are looking to check the safety of the building. As of now (Monday morning), we have not yet been allowed into the premises. Engineers are coming today to assess the damage,” she stated.

Pauline is very thankful for the support from other businesses and the wider community, in the aftermath of the fire.
“Other hairdressers and businesses in the town have been very helpful. Customers have also rang with offers of help. My own team has also been very supportive,” she commented.

Another business affected by the fire is Stephen Olwell Opticians. The roof of his premises is also gone: “Obviously, the premises are open to the elements as a result of the roof being gone. Otherwise, there is a lot of water and smoke damage. The rain at present will obviously add to the water,” he explained.

“Gardai and engineers are involved at present so it is too early to do anything with the premises,” Stephen added.
Stephen has been in business for 15 years. “I have a skeleton staff, with one full-time, one part-time and one currently on maternity leave,” he explained.

“We have hit a speed ramp and we will be able to survive,” he vowed. “I have good staff, who are good at problem solving,” Stephen added.
As with the other businesses who sustained damage to their premises, there's a waiting game while their premises are assessed.

“We will then move forward and I am on the side of moving forward,” Stephen said.
In common with Pauline Coady Belton, Stephen acknowledges the support of the business community at this difficult time.
“There has been an outpouring of support, including offers of help from patients,” he stated.
“My business will continue, it is just a matter of how,” Stephen added.

El Gusto, an ice cream parlour and coffee shop opened in July of last year. For Ewelina Krawczak the consequences of the fire for her business are unknown: “I still don’t have permission to enter the shop,” she stated. “It must be first established that it is 100% safe to enter the shop,” Ewelina added.

While Ewelina is unsure of the full implications for her shop, the result of having no electricity will mean the loss of stock in the fridges and freezers: “I don’t know the extent of the damage,” she explained.
Ewelina said that, “the shop has been doing OK since it opened last year. There are three part-time staff and myself working in it.”