HOUGHTON - It's been less than three months since a fire destroyed the second floor of the Surplus Outlet on Shelden Avenue in downtown Houghton, but the owner is confident he'll be able to reopen in April.
John McRae, owner of the outdoor clothing and equipment retailer, said he expects to do a "soft" opening first, then possibly a grand opening in May.
"We should be open by the middle of April," he said.
Just before 4 a.m. Dec. 26, the Houghton Fire Department responded to a fire on the second floor of the building. Eventually, the fire destroyed the second-floor apartments, and the damage was so severe that the floor was removed in January.
"It was about four weeks from start to finish (to remove the second floor and put on a new roof)," he said. "That's pretty impressive."
All of the merchandise on the first floor and in the basement, which was damaged by smoke and water, was removed by a salvage company from Maine.
Yalmer Mattila Contracting is the contractor for the reconstruction of the building, and subcontractors have been working inside and outside since the second floor was removed.
McRae said the layout of the first floor will be similar to what it was before the fire, with one significant change.
"It will be much more open," he said.
McRae said the speed of the reconstruction of the building has as much to do with the cooperation of his insurance company as the good work of the contractors.
"Insurance has been great," he said. "They worked with us closely. All the contractors that have been in here have been great. They know it's a tight schedule."
During a discussion Tuesday with McRae about the pace of the reconstruction, Jon Labyak, Yalmer Mattila project manager, said work was on schedule, and painting of drywall on the first floor was expected to start Wednesday.
Although the December fire at Surplus Outlet was devastating, McRae said he's very pleased with how the reconstruction has gone.
"It's a helluva way to get a remodeling job done," he said.
Kurt Hauglie can be reached at khauglie @mininggazette.com.
