Shops displaced by devastating February building fire reopen in downtown Kennewick
After almost six months, some of the businesses that were displaced by the historic Cascade building fire have started to reopen.
And permits filed with the city show the owner of the Cascade Building, Gary Earp, submitted paperwork at the end of May to begin a $900,000 renovation of the building.
Desert Gem and Appraisal had been closed for several months as construction crews worked to ensure the second story wall of the Cascade building is not at risk of collapsing.
Desert Gem, Foodies and several other businesses were displaced after a fire in an apartment on the second floor of the Cascade building turned into a blaze and gutted the historic building.
JDs Time center has been letting Desert Gem owner Dennis Schoeneberg work out of their space down the block since March.
Schoeneberg told the Herald that he was able to reopen his store recently. The space also was remodeled during the cleanup from smoke damage.
Desert Gem is open 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, at 306 W. Kennewick Ave.
Their neighbor The Lady Bug Shoppe was unable to reopen in its old storefront, after the shop was a complete loss on the first floor of the Cascade Building. But now they’ve found a new home just down the block.
The Lady Bug Shoppe reopened in a new space at 321 W. Kennewick Ave. last month. They’re across the street and a few doors down from their old location, at the end of the block near the intersection of West Kennewick and Dayton Street.
However, the popular Foodies restaurant does not appear to be reopening their downtown Kennewick location, which had significant smoke damage.
Their Richland location at 701 The Parkway is still open, and they are working on a food truck, according to social media posts.
Other business notes
CODA funerals
A new cremation and funeral services provider has opened in Kennewick.
CODA Alternative Cremation and Funeral is billed as a “streamlined modern take on the death care experience.”
They are an alternative funeral home that provides curated burial and cremation packages, designed to be more affordable and easier to navigate, according to a news release.
“We are blessed to be able to open our doors here in Kennewick,” said Holley Sowards, Director of Funeral Operations.
“CODA was founded to bridge the gap between full-service funeral homes and the low-cost online cremation providers while still being able to provide families in-person support, meaningful options and the ability to grieve and heal.”
Douglas Fruit
Douglas Fruit Company is looking to expand its Franklin County packaging facility.
The company has filed initial paperwork for a proposed addition to their facility just north of Pasco on Road 68. The addition would expand their current packaging area by about 21,000 square feet.
Douglas Fruit began with a single apple orchard in the 1920s, and has since expanded to expanded across the Yakima Valley and Columbia Basin, according to their website.
They specialize in organic apples, peaches, nectarines, apricots and cherries.
