Tim's Boots Posting Page

Monday, December 29, 2008

Custom Cowboy Boots Shop burns

http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2008/dec/28/breaking-news-downtown-building-on-fire/

Downtown building destroyed in fire
By Jennifer Rios
Originally published 02:16 p.m., December 28, 2008
Updated 05:46 p.m., December 28, 2008

Photo by Brian Connelly

San Angelo firefighters battle a two-alarm fire at the Rusty Franklin Custom Boots building on Avenue B and Chadbourne Street in downtown. Robert Brest, owner of Rusty Franklin Custom Boots for five years, was at home making lunch when he learned the downtown building was on fire. From outside his home on Harrison, he could see the smoke.

The store, a 10,000 square foot shop that produced boots, chaps, saddles and "just everything that a cowboy needs and works with," Brest said. Sunday afternoon San Angelo firefighters worked for more than four hours to extinguish a fire that torched the building at Avenue B and Chadbourne Street.

"I don't know what I'm going to do now," Brest said. "I'm sure we're going to do something, I just don't know what." Battalion Chief Clay Hubbard said no one was there at the time of the fire. No one has been injured in the fire.

Firefighters arrived on the scene around noon today, where they found smoke coming from the second story window and front door of the building, he said. Hubbard said he thought the blaze started around the stairwell on the second floor. When they arrived, it was not engulfed in flames, but the staircase was too spongy to walk on. Brest said the staircase is the only way to reach the second floor.

Over the next few hours firefighters attacked the building, especially the second floor windows, from outside, Hubbard said. At one point firefighters entered the room, but had to retreat as wood and debris began to fall from the ceiling. By 3 p.m., the roof had caved in and firefighters worked to extinguish fire trapped underneath. Five engines and about 28 firefighters responded to the fire, Hubbard said.

Fire Investigator Thomas Truett said he did not have enough information to conclude whether the fire was accidental or suspicious. "We've collected information from witnesses about the case," Truett said, "but the exact cause is still under investigation." He said he would investigate the fire Monday morning. "It may not be cool enough to do much looking until tomorrow," he said.

Brest said the next step for him is to speak with his insurance agent and see what can be done. Items from boot competitions, paintings and photos given to him from "rodeo guys" are gone, Brest said, along with "lots of saddles." Boot and saddle making equipment, along with business ledgers were also lost.

"I just fell in love with the boot and the saddle deal, and that's what I wanted to do," he said. "I wanted to be the best at it."

Brest said when the shop made boots for Tommy Lee Jones and Javier Bardem for "No Country for Old Men," business picked up. He was thinking of hiring more employees to keep up with the demand for custom boots - orders were backed up a year from when
someone ordered a pair.

He said his customers, who paid half down when they ordered boots, will have to call him since he has no way of reaching them. "I've got to help my customers too," he said. "Everything we do is in that building, and it burned."

Comment from TimsBoots.com - Hope they get back running soon.

Labels: Cowboy-boots Custom-boots

by: Tim's Boots

1 Comments:

 linda said...

I recently came accross your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.


Joyce

http://www.videophonesguide.com

December 29, 2008 10:27 PM  

<< Blog Home