Mike Zalman received a shock this week.
According to Zalman, a man stopped him on Main Street Monday, asked him if we was from Slickity Jims Chat n Chew, and handed him $1,000 for his staff.
That surprise followed an unexpected phone call Zalman received from his cleaners at 5 a.m. Sunday, telling him his restaurant was on fire for the second time in as many years.
God hates me, Zalman joked when asked what he thought about his business being hit by fire twice.
He called the fires an unfortunate coincidence.
Zalman says firefighters believe the blaze started with recycling behind the building that houses Slickity Jims and the Ride On bicycle shop. Somehow, a natural gas line was ruptured.
Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Fire and Rescue Services failed to return the Couriers calls, but Const. Lindsey Houghton, spokesperson for the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Police department, said fire services believe the blaze is suspicious. He said there was no indication the fire was connected to a string of arsons on the West Side.
The fire damaged the utilities room in the common area of the building. Some stock will have to be thrown out.
Zalman said Monday the restoration company believes the restaurant will be closed one month.
Ride On opened its damaged doors Monday morning.
We have to be open to pay the bills, said store manager Dave Struthers.
The bike shop is accepting cash only and offering fire-sale deals.
Struthers said Ride On suffered fire, smoke and water damage, including the loss of the new computer and printer the shop purchased after moving from the Slickity Jims space in October.
Were only just getting going in there, in the new location, Struthers said.
Well bounce back. Weve been through pretty much everything other than a fire at that store, as far as burglary, floods and everything like that.
Both men expect the landlords insurance policy will cover much of the damage, and Struthers said the landlords policy will provide a security guard.
Slickity Jims has been running for only five months since it reopened nine blocks south of its original location on Main Street, where it had operated for a decade until being shut down after a November 2009 fire that destroyed or damaged six businesses.
When Zalman arrived at the scene of the fire Sunday morning, he expected Slickity Jims new digs to be destroyed like his former location. He felt relief and continuing disbelief when firefighters swiftly snuffed the fire out.
Zalmans amazement continued with the unexpected donation.
You get what you put out, he said. The staff put a lot in. They care and that comes back to them.
Zalman expects to hold a barbecue by donation with the restaurants food before it spoils. The rest will be donated to charity.
Twitter: @Cheryl_Rossi
