Altadena’s grocery stores, which have escaped the fatal Eaton fire, are set to reopen for the first time in weeks after the disaster stolen hundreds of people on devastating roads.
The Lake Avenue grocery outlet will reopen its doors to the community on Wednesday. Sandra Valenzuela, who owns the store, said it was an emotional reopening not just for her but for the neighborhood.
“I was saddened overall, and saddened because my neighbor across the street was no longer there. A lot of our community was no longer there,” she said.
Valenzuela said she was shocked when she learned that her business had survived the fire. It did not burn out, but was judged to be a complete loss due to extensive smoke damage, and about 30 tons of product was lost.
“Everything was full of soot and smoke. I didn’t want to take a chance because of the safety of the community,” she said.
However, Valenzuela, who bought the store with her husband Jose in 2021, has decided to reopen. The couple knew how important it was to come back for their neighbors and workers, especially for the five employees who lost their homes in the fire.
“We need to be here for them and the rest of our community,” Sandra said. “A lot of us lost so much. It’s important, they need their work, they need to be distracted, we need to get back to some sort of normalcy.”
The reopening is a monumental work that involves massive cleaning and restocking of shelves. This would cost nearly $1 million to run back.
“We’re not the only small business in Altadena, but we definitely hope that after us we can get everyone back together and let Altadena go again,” Jose said.
Grocery outlets will reopen at 9am on Wednesday and close at 6pm
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