On a recent chilly morning, both fireplaces were lit in the newly rebuilt Carter Park store.
The owner was quick to point out that they are gas fireplaces, and the flames were decorative, not meant to provide warmth.
It was a relevant detail, as the popular corner building, 3100 Columbia St. went up in smoke in December 2009.
The fire destroyed what had emerged as a neighborhood success story, Marcell’s Hemp and Latte House, which had occupied the leased space for a year.
Owner Larry Patella said a fire marshal told him the blaze was sparked by a fire in the fireplace that spread.
The day of the fire was one of the coldest days of the year.
“They had a rip-roaring fire” going, trying to generate heat, said Patella.
“This part of the building is about 100 years old, and the wood was so dried out,” he said, gesturing to the fireplace in the front of the store.
After the blaze, Patella had to decide whether to raze or rebuild.
“This whole corner of the building was totally destroyed,” he said.
He had bids to demolish but decided to use his insurance money to rebuild.
After months of work, he’s close to announcing what the next business to occupy the site will be.
He received his certification of occupancy on Dec. 23 from the city.
The building is for sale, and Patella said he has two people interested in opening a coffee shop (or bistro; the site is licensed to be a full-service restaurant.) He anticipates that neighbors will once again have a cozy hangout by late spring. He may remain the owner and enter into a lease agreement, he said.
There’s new Pergo flooring in the front of the store and refinished hardwood in the back; the new walls are painted an inviting cranberry color. Patella hopes an area with shelving will become a neighborhood library, where people can donate books and borrow them on the honor system. There’s an area for a couch and some comfortable chairs, and the shop will be wired for Wi-Fi, Patella said.
“I know the neighborhood is anxious,” Patella said.
Ed Bartlett, who has been working at the site, said when the restoration work began, the ruined walls were down to the base studs.
“It was a shell,” he said.
Pine rafters in the back of the building had been heavily damaged. Patella said someone suggested just painting over the smoke damage, but he hired someone to clean the beams.
Bartlett said neighbors frequently stop by to inquire about the status of the store.
Neighbors flocked to Marcell’s Hemp and Latte House, which had recently celebrated its first anniversary when it was destroyed by the fire.
The day of the fire, Dec. 9, 2009, co-owner Marcell Gareis had been planning to roll out a menu of breakfasts and lunches.
Patella said when he last heard about Gareis, she was planning to move out of the area.
Before Gareis opened her coffee shop, the site had been home to a succession of small markets.
Records show the building has been a neighborhood grocery store as far back as 1931; Patella found one building permit dating from 1929.
Patella, executive director of Western Dredging Association, operated a grocery store at the site in the early 1980s.
Patella said he understands how much the store means to the neighborhood. After the 2009 fire, Glenna Bowman, president of the Carter Park Neighborhood Association, told The Columbian, “We just had the heart of our neighborhood ripped out.”
Patella, a frequent critic of the Vancouver City Council, said nothing but nice things about city staff members who helped guide him through the rebuilding process.
“The city people were very cooperative. They were very helpful. I didn’t know a whole lot about restoring a building. They were very professional. We didn’t get into politics,” Patella said.
Stephanie Rice: 360-735-4508 or stephanie.rice@columbian.com.
