McMunn & Yates poised to rebuild

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This article was published 29/08/2021 (1387 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Nine months after a devastating fire that caused an estimated $10 million in damage, McMunn & Yates Building Supplies is preparing to rebuild its familiar red storefront along Highway 12.

Demolition is slated to begin as early as next week, followed by a construction process that will wrap up sometime next spring, store manager Corwin Penner said Monday in an interview.

“It’s been a long haul,” Penner said, looking out the window of his makeshift office over the restored warehouse temporarily doubling as a retail space.

A construction cost estimate for the new store is still being tabulated, but Penner said it will be “bigger and better,” with a larger footprint and a new roofline providing the same ceiling height as the warehouse.

The extra 2,500 square feet will allow for more sheet goods to be displayed on the sales floor. The paint and flooring sections will return, and Penner said there is talk of adding a lighting section. Offices will be centralized, and contractors will get a dedicated entrance and service desk.

Penner said it’s “very exciting” to be on the verge of rebuilding after nine months of insurance claims, logistical hurdles, and sales fluctuations—on top of the pandemic.

“It’s been really challenging. There’s no handbook on this,” said Penner, who stepped into the store’s top job just five months before the Nov. 14, 2020 fire, which was reported 90 minutes after staff closed up for the day.

The Office of the Fire Commissioner ruled the fire accidental. Penner said the likely culprit was a ceiling light over the paint desk. A few staff smelled something unusual earlier in the day but could see nothing amiss.

In addition to razing the store, the fire destroyed about $1 million in warehouse inventory and another $1 million in shelving, computers, office furnishings, and other assets. The lumber yard was spared but about 25 store staff were displaced. Some were sent home to work, and a few were laid off.

Penner and two others set up in a trailer. Five days after the fire, staff started tallying inventory.

“We kind of settled into a new normal here,” Penner said. “The challenge for me…has been keeping everybody positive. But we’ve got loyal customers and great staff.”

Today, only the concrete division is still working out of a trailer. Penner said staff are eager to move out of temporary workspaces and into the new store, which will have LED lighting and an updated yet familiar front façade.

Insurance processes are ongoing—there are both tenant and landlord policies to navigate—but Penner said they’ve reached a point where rebuilding can begin. Neighbouring tenant Stonybrook Pantry, whose store sustained smoke damage, reopened in May.

Penner said the day of the fire is still fresh in his mind.

“It’s hard to look back at those pictures. I feel my heart sink, like it happened yesterday.”

Once the fire was out, a restoration company set to work cleaning and salvaging while the insurance claim process began.

In mid-May, the restored warehouse reopened with a temporary retail space. Penner said about 75 percent of stock is on hand, with the rest just a phone call away.

Contractor sales have been a saving grace since the fire.

“Our retail traffic has really suffered,” Penner said.

He explained that’s because some customers don’t know the warehouse is open for in-person browsing, phone and online orders, and curbside pickup.

Looking ahead, Penner said next year’s grand reopening event will also incorporate a 50th anniversary celebration for McMunn & Yates, which was founded in 1971.

The store’s popcorn maker, which enticed customers with its buttery aroma, was removed long before the fire. Will it make a comeback?

“I’ll have to see,” Penner said with a smile, adding he made more than one trip to the popcorn maker during his days as a home builder.