After a devastating fire Dec. 30 that destroyed businesses and apartments in downtown Brookings, the community has come together to help rebuild—raising thousands, donating essentials and supporting neighbors.
The fire started just after 5 a.m. below Brost’s Fashion boutique on Main Street and spread to the upstairs apartments. Firefighters worked for 28 hours to contain the blaze, during which the building collapsed, damaging nearby structures.
After weeks of investigation, officials determined last week that the fire was accidental, originating near an electrical service panel in the basement. Due to the extent of the damage and safety concerns, no further investigation will take place.
“Eighteen businesses were impacted, and around 11 or 12 of them are seriously affected, meaning the fire has disrupted their ability to reopen,” Kirsten Gjesdal, executive director of Downtown Brookings, said.
Along with businesses, the fire forced 17 people from 11 apartments.
“Everything is fine one moment, and then out of the blue I don’t have a home anymore,” said Bobbie Jo Johnson, one of the residents displaced by the fire. Johnson first stayed with her family before finding permanent housing.
“My family was a huge support. I was able to stay with an aunt and uncle about half an hour away,” she said. “Shortly after the fire, I was able to find a new apartment.”
“In the wake of destruction, we have seen overwhelming support from our community,” said Gjesdal.
Many residents, including Johnson, received essential donations.The Ivy Center stepped in to provide essentials, organize physical donations and arrange temporary housing. Since then, more than $18,000 has been raised by the public.
“Multiple people in the community have donated and given everyday items — someone even gave me a big laundry basket of kitchen items,” Johnson said.
The American Red Cross also came to Brookings on the morning of the fire to give hotel vouchers to residents and guide them on what to do next. Johnson said she was thankful for the overwhelming support.
“A lot of strangers reached out, even people I hadn’t talked to in a long time, asking if I was OK,” she said. “The Brookings community was just a huge, huge support. I am very thankful for this community.”
Downtown Brookings partnered with Brookings Behavioral Health to set up an online donation portal.
“They helped so much with the displaced residents,” Gjesdal said. Helping them find a new place to live, getting them furniture, collecting and organizing donations.”
The portal raised $10,000 for residents who were affected. On top of that, the portal has raised another $12,000 for businesses. This money does not include the donation jars around downtown or other fundraisers, which leads to the amount of money raised being “far beyond that total,” according to Gjesdal.
“When a tragedy like this strikes, it’s great to see so many people step up to help — whether it’s through money, products or manpower,” Gjesdal said. “It really shows what a supportive community this is.”
The Brookings Economic Development and Brookings’ Chamber of Commerce have each put $25,000 toward helping affected businesses.
“While those are organizations that put that money together, remember that those are the boards of those organizations which are our neighbors, other businesses owners and things like that,” Gjesdal said.
Noelle Morford, owner of Found by Funky Junk, said about half of the money supports residents, while the rest will go to a business grant program.
Morford has been instrumental in the relief efforts, distributing collection jars at stores downtown and placing posters and table tents with QR codes linking to the donation box around Brookings.
“The businesses, we kind of all anchor each other,” Morford said. “Businesses bring in shoppers for other businesses and point each other to the next business.”
Local shops and restaurants have stepped up to host fundraisers. In January, Wooden Legs Brewing Co. hosted a trivia night, raising more than $2,500 for those affected.
SoDak Spurs Soccer Club recently hosted a weekend tournament and donated all concession proceeds to the donation fund. After hearing about the fire, Gameday Social created shirts to honor the Brookings community, donating 100% of the proceeds to affected businesses.
Some buildings have also provided space for displaced shop owners to set up temporary storefronts and work areas.
While progress has been made, it remains unclear how long the rebuilding process will take. “I do not know if Brost’s will rebuild, but Seven Songbirds will,” Gjesdal said. “The large building to the south will begin the restoration process soon.”
Residents and business owners continue to welcome support. Dunham encouraged community members to, “come in and shop and say ‘hi.’ We went two weeks without seeing our customers, and it kind of gets to you when you see people every day… we want to see them again.”
The Ugly Duckling was among the affected businesses that suffered significant smoke and water damage. Co-owner Rachael Dunham described the recovery efforts: “On Tuesday morning, one of our co-owners came in and started pumping water out, and later Intek came in and started pumping. Intek has been amazing in helping us extract water, carpet, and drywall, and using ozone machines to help us get the smell out of our building.”
The Ugly Duckling took on a foot of water in the basement and smoke damage on the main level. The shop is now fully operational and has a temporary framing space in the basement of The Carrot Seed.
While some businesses, like The Ugly Duckling, have reopened, others suffered more severe damage, including structural issues and inventory loss. Many have relocated temporarily, directing customers to their websites for online sales.
Erica Grinde, owner of Emerald Grace, said she has tried to have a positive outlook on her situation. Emerald Grace was next to Brost’s Fashion and experienced great damage due to the fire in the Brost’s building. Grinde opened her new location on Jan. 24, now at 408 Fourth St.
“This space is much bigger for us, having a separate room for dressing rooms, more room for people to be in here at the same time, and spread out. “We don’t feel so squished … we are even pretty close to the amount of inventory we had on Main Street,” Grinde said.
With the new space, Grinde has room to bring in more inventory than before. This space has helped them resume as a business and not just as a pop-up.
Grinde said she is thankful for the opportunity to stay downtown.
“We have been shown a lot of love so far,” Grinde said about her new neighbors sending customers her way. Emerald Grace regulars have been great as well.
“I have built a loyal following; it was nice to see everybody in,” she said.
According to Grinde, it took only an Instagram story with her new address to get customers rolling in again.
Other businesses in the area such as The Nook have received an “overwhelming amount of community support,” says owner Laci Thompson. Many businesses in the area have offered to open up their spaces for them. Customers reached out to see if they could help in any way, coming in to clean and help them pack inventory.
Even “people sharing stories, liking, commenting, sharing posts,” Thompson said has been a big help for The Nook, as well as other businesses downtown. The Nook held a “Fire Sale” Jan. 30, Feb 1 and 2, offering 50% off all inventory due to smoke damage. Customers showed incredible support, with a line forming out the door 15 minutes before opening Friday afternoon.
The situation is at the point where progress is going to be slow. Gjesdal said she is optimistic about the future of downtown Brookings and grateful nobody was hurt.
