The fire that destroyed a new Lakeside boutique just days before it was to open was caused by electrical overload due to an air conditioner unit, according to the Duluth Fire Department.
The day after the fire at Li'l Sweet Things, 4511 E. Superior St., owner Julie Nynas-Anderson was holding a fire sale on the sidewalk -- trying to make the most of what wasn't destroyed. She had not yet arranged for insurance coverage for the shop when the fire occurred.
"I haven't really cried yet," she said Tuesday afternoon. "Maybe in the shower tonight." And she laughed.
Nynas-Anderson had hoped with her consignment store to provide shoppers with more than just purchases.
"We were going to have a corner for kids to do crafts and to create, dream and inspire, and that's the idea," she said. "I don't want them to leave just with a handful of clothes, but to leave feeling inspired."
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Covered in soot, the messages on the items from the boutique were still there.
"I was always raised that, no matter what, to have a positive attitude and strong faith," Nynas-Anderson said. She, too, was covered in soot.
"It's just the sweet things that make a difference in our life," said Dyane Bjordal, Nynas-Anderson's best friend, explaining how they named the store. Bjordal said she has been driving from South Dakota since April to help with the store. She added that since the fire, she has seen a lot of sweet things.
"I don't know these people, and they're coming up and saying. 'I'm really sorry for what has happened to you guys,' " Bjordal said of the people stopping by the sidewalk sale.
Nynas-Anderson had been arranging for business insurance for a July 15 opening. She even met with her providers on Tuesday. "It just was a day late, so I'm not insured," she said.
Damages are estimated at $150,000 for the building and its contents, plus $10,000 each for the two adjacent buildings, said Richard Mattson, assistant fire chief of the Duluth Fire Department.
For now, the fire has put on hold Nynas-Anderson's dream of selling inspiration along with beautiful items.
"I put everything that I had into it so I don't anticipate reopening now," she said. "I'm not giving up hope. I will have a store again sometime."
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A benefit account has been set up for her at North Shore Bank.
