WILLOW CREEK — A fire of electrical origin caused extensive damage to the rear storage area of the Willow Creek General Store early Tuesday morning, closing the Main Street institution for the second time in its history.
Fire Chief Dale Fournier Sr. said the fire began in faulty wiring behind the store’s walk-in cooler and spread to the storage room before being contained by the store’s fire-rated wall. The main retail floor and coffee corner sustained smoke damage but were not burned.
“The wall did exactly what it was designed to do,” Fournier said. “If it had been a standard partition, we would have lost the whole building.”
Maeve O’Donnell, who took over the store from her father in 1983, said she plans to reopen within six weeks. “My grandfather opened this store in 1923,” she said. “My father rebuilt it after the 1957 fire. I am not going to be the O’Donnell who let it close.”
A benefit supper at the Community Hall raised $4,600 in a single evening. The mill contributed $1,000 and promised expedited lumber delivery for the rebuild. Ray Thibodeau offered his carpentry services at cost.
“I have been coming to this store since I was a child,” said Eleanor Vance, who organized the benefit. “I bought my first fishing license here. I bought my first box of Christmas cards here. This store is the heart of Main Street. We will not let it burn.”
The General Store reopened on June 14 with a new roof, fresh paint, and a brand-new walk-in cooler. Maeve O’Donnell hung a sign in the front window: “Still Here. Still Open. Still Coffee.”