Two Modesto businesses damaged in structure fire. ‘Don’t know what we’re going to do’
On Wednesday, the building that housed Annex Hair Studios and Gottschalk Music Center in Modesto still smelled like smoke two days after the vacant unit between them caught fire.
The two businesses near the Modesto DMV office were told early Monday morning that a fire broke out, damaging their roofs and causing smoke damage to their interiors.
The Modesto Fire Department responded to an alarm call at 1506 E St. around 5:30 a.m. Monday, according to Capt. Joseph Spani. When crews arrived flames were emanating from the building. Eventually, eight engines and two firetrucks responded, according to Spani. The cause and origin of the fire are still being investigated by the Stanislaus Regional Fire Investigation Unit.
“There were no reported injuries,” he said.
Jan Leer, owner of Gottschalk Music Center since 2011, said the fire mainly affected the west part of their wall. Interior damage was mostly the fire hose water, flame retardant and smoke.
“I don’t know what we’re going to do,” she said.
She said she managed to grab the instruments in storage and is keeping them safe for the time being, but she suspects 95% of their print music is gone.
To gain access to the blaze, firefighters broke down all the doors.
Ricardo Ulises Garfias Flores, who helped design the hair studio, and his wife, Jamie Garfias, who ran the salon with nine employees, got a call from the owner of the building at around 6:30 a.m. Monday.
Flores said when he arrived at the scene, there were four or five fire engines there.
“It looked like the street was flooding from all the water they were using, but it was just smoldering at that point.”
Now, they are trying to secure a new location to keep the business going as soon as possible, but they do not see themselves continuing at the E Street location.
“Nine people not working during the holidays could be really rough,” he said.
Gottschalk Music Center in Modesto has been a staple of the music community since it was opened by John Gottschalk’s grandparents in 1951. He remembers growing up working in the store with his father.
“I was probably nine or 10, and he’d take me down and I’d sweep and take out the garbage and lick envelopes,” he said. “As I got older, they used to rent pianos out, so I moved a lot of pianos as I got to the age where I could do that.”
His father sold the music store to Leer in 2011.
Leer said even though the business wasn’t destroyed, there’s no gas or power.
“I’m doing what I can, and I’ll keep doing what I can,” Leer said. “It’s a day-by-day thing right now.”
This story was originally published November 20, 2024 at 5:15 PM.
