After a three-month closure due to repairs needed for smoke damage, the Fran Charles Shop in Bradford was able to reopen Thursday, July 4, to its customers.
The shop at 12 Congress St. was one of the business buildings in downtown Bradford that suffered smoke damage during a fire that destroyed the nearby historic building at 22 Main St. the evening of April 3.
The thick smoke that spewed from the structure made its way to a number of buildings and businesses that included Fran Charles. Shop owner, Susan Godfrey, closed the shop and held a special sale for clothing items in April before closing the business for restoration that included cleaning and painting the facility.
Godfrey had stated that smoke was likely drawn into the business by the furnace in the building, filling the downstairs clothing shop as well as her second-floor office.
Quality clothing damaged during the incident all had to be replaced with new inventory.
On Friday, employee Cindy Minich said the shop did well when it reopened Thursday and continued to draw in customers Friday.
“Because it was the fourth of July (Godfrey) decided it was a good day to open,” Minich
said between waiting on customers. “It’s all new (merchandise) — it’s so exciting.
“Opening boxes, pricing and hanging, it’s like Christmas,” she added. “It’s like Christmas in July.”
She noted the inventory includes items from new vendors and companies.
“We’re hoping that everybody comes back in because the new stuff is really nice,” Minich continued.
Customers in the shop included Megan Luke from Pittsburgh, whose husband had attended the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. She was in the community for a family reunion.
“It’s a great little shop and unique,” Luke said. “They usually have (clothing) on the professional side. In Pittsburgh, it’s hard to find the same stuff, so it’s nice to come up here to find unique pieces.”
A relative of Luke’s said she is a native of Bradford and always had stopped at Fran Charles in the past during visits to Bradford. She had heard about the temporary closure of the business.
“Luckily, they reopened,” she said of the shop.
The shop is open from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday; noon to 6 p.m.Thursday and Friday; and 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.Saturday.
