Working out of a trailer couldn?t be better for the five Mount Airy merchants who lost their businesses in the September blaze on Main Street.
The businesses returned this weekend a block from their former buildings, which are either being rebuilt or are about to be razed, in trailers at a temporary park.
“It?s very exciting to say, ?I?ve got to go to work today,? ” said Stephanie Scranton, owner of A Do or Dye Day Spa, which reopened Monday with a full list of customers for the week.
Four of the portable buildings are connected by a boardwalk, and owners often pop in on one another.
A grant of nearly $85,000 from Carroll County paid for the temporary business park, nicknamed “the rail yard” because it sits behind the old train station.
Joanne Sapp, owner of Deja Vu, which sells clothing and accessories for teenagers, viewed her new store as a new beginning.
“I didn?t want anything the same; it was too hard,” Sapp said. “I just wanted everything bright and cheery.”
She bought inexpensive furniture from flea markets and yard sales, then painted it.
The store has hardwood floors, three small rooms surrounding one large area that displays racks of jeans and dresses, as well as fitting rooms.
“It looks pretty amazing,” she said, better than she imagined.
The grand opening for the rail yard is this weekend, though Scranton hopes to move back into her permanent home at a rebuilt Bohn building next September.
All the equipment in her store, such as swivel chairs, a massage table and sinks to shampoo customers? hair, are being rented until she gets enough money to buy her own again.
“I think everyone is totally shocked when they walk in here,” Scranton said. “When they?re in here, they totally forget they?re in a trailer.”
How to help
» What: Mount Airy Main Street Association Big Band Bash
» Where: Linganore Winery
» When: Saturday
» Why: Benefit downtown businesses
» For tickets: Contact Dalia Schulman at 301-829-4113
