It’s been seven weeks since an early morning fire at the Asylum Nightclub sent smoke pouring into My Sister’s Place thrift shop at 380 Main St.
“It’s been a long 48 days,” said store manager Nancy Cahoon, who hosted a ribbon cutting Monday to reopen the thrift shop that supports the Center for Domestic Violence Services, a program of BHcare.
Those who gathered at the official reopening recalled the fire that struck during the early morning hours of March 11
Alerted at 4 a.m. by a call from Cahoon, the store’s maintenance manager, Rob Carnaroli, said he arrived to find “smoke from top to bottom” in the store.
The fire actually started in the basement of the Asylum Nightclub next door. My Sister’s Place wasn’t damaged by flames, but the smoke ruined everything in the store.
The store had no electricity for two days after the fire, and then Cahoon called the cleaning services. It took them 10 days to clean the three floors used by the thrift shop, she said, and another company removed all the clothing to have it dry cleaned or bulk cleaned.
There were 5,000 items in the store at the time of the fire, including clothing, furniture and household items.
The community responded by making merchandise and monetary donations.
“Without the community’s efforts and help, today wouldn’t be happening,” said Arlene Greco, Director of Development for BHcare, and as the ribbon was cut, many onlookers applauded and cheered.
“It’s wonderful to see the outpouring of support we’ve seen here,” said Bill Purcell, president of the Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Purcell presented My Sister’s Place with a $1,000 check from the treasury of Alliance Leads, a networking group from the Chamber that disbanded recently.
There were also contributions from the Young Emerging Professionals group from the Chamber, from the Shelton Exchange Club and from people who wanted to see the thrift shop open once more.
All proceeds of the thrift shop benefit the services of the Center for Domestic Violence.
My Sister’s Place is “vital to our Center for Domestic Violence,” said Marilyn Cormack, president of BHcare. “Domestic violence services are so underfunded.”
State Rep. Linda Gentile (D‑104) was also on hand for the ribbon cutting, and she pointed out the important function the thrift shop and the Center provide.
“Three out of four women in Connecticut will be abused in some sort of way,” Gentile said, based on recent statistics.
The staff and volunteers of My Sister’s Place also recognized the importance of getting the shop open again. Once the cleaning was done, the walls were repainted and a new carpet installed, they spent two days to get the place up and running by April 29.
“My Sister’s Place has done a great job of refurbishing,” said Mayor Jim Della Volpe. “On behalf of the city we’re glad to have you back.”
Police Chief Kevin Hale was recognized for working with advocates from the Center for Domestic Violence Services to identify victims of domestic abuse.
Under Hale’s leadership, Ansonia is the first municipality to use the Lethality Assessment Program (LAP), which trains police officers and advocates.
When police are called to a domestic incident, they have the victim fill out a one-page questionnaire, Hale said. If certain criteria are met, police contact domestic violence advocates immediately to get services in place.
“We’re getting victims into services right away,” Hale said.
Cahoon said she was pleased that My Sister’s Place appears to be as popular as ever after being shut down for so long.
“It’s just great that when I opened the doors, I saw customers come back in after we were closed for 48 days,” she said. “It’s like a family.”Several customers were looking through the clothing racks during the ribbon cutting.
“I like the quality and the variety,” said Kathie Nichols of Shelton, one of the store’s best customers. “I know it’s going for a good cause.”The cause of the fire at Asylum night club remains undetermined and the business is still closed.
