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PREVIOUSLY

• (UPDATING) Huge Fire in Downtown Arcata
• ‘We Would Love to Rebuild’: Northtown Books Owner Dante DiGenova Addresses Devastating Fire, Thanks the Community and Looks Toward Next Steps
• Investigation Finds No Evidence of Foul Play in January 2 Arcata Fire; Cause Remains Undetermined

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Today marks exactly two months since a structure fire consumed an entire block of downtown Arcata, destroying seven businesses and multiple upstairs apartments. 

Among the incinerated storefronts were those occupied by Northtown Books, the oldest and arguably most cherished bookstore in Humboldt County, and Dandar’s Boardgames and Books, which specializes in sci-fi and fantasy books, manga, tabletop games, tarot cards and the like. Dandar’s was a newcomer to downtown Arcata, having relocated from Valley West just months prior, but it had already established a loyal fanbase. 

Last week, the Outpost spoke with Northtown Books owner Dante DiGenova and exchanged emails with Dan Gilkey, who co-owns Dandar’s with his wife Doranna Benker-Gilkey. We asked each about their plans for the future, including the search for new digs. [DISCLOSURE: Dan and I are old friends; we attended McKinleyville High School together and were roommates for a while in the late ‘90s.]

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Dandar’s owners announced on social media last week — in a post that featured a new phoenix-adorned logo — that while the search for a new permanent home continues, a temporary spot on the plaza, inside Jacoby’s Storehouse, will allow them “to get back on our feet and back to business.”

“Bill Chino at Jacoby’s Storehouse has been absolutely amazing working with us and making a space for us,” Gilkey said of the building’s owner. “He has us on a month-to-month lease so we can continue to look for a long-term location with more space. We will be able to make a good little shop here in the meantime.”

There won’t be quite enough room to accommodate tables for gaming, but Gilkey said there should be “a reasonable selection” of games and manga. 

“We are going to have to scale back on our regular book selection and focus more on special orders (not ideal but just the reality of stocking a smaller place),” Gilkey said. 

As for a new permanent location, he said they’d prefer to remain in downtown Arcata, though there aren’t many suitable locations available.

“We are talking to a couple places but it is an uphill struggle getting something both big enough and affordable,” Gilkey said. “We are really thankful to have the flexibility the Jacoby’s Storehouse is providing.”

Dandar’s hopes to open in its temporary location early next month.

DiGenova, meanwhile, said he’d prefer to find a new permanent location, rather than reopening somewhere temporarily, though he noted that “temporary” means different things to different people.

“According to my insurance company, ‘temporary’ means [up to] two years,” DiGenova said. That kind of arrangement might work, he said, but anything shorter term “is just not appealing to me. I would rather, at this time, just still focus on website orders.”

In the first days and weeks after the fire, community support for Northtown flowed in, both through an online fundraiser, which has allowed DiGenova to retain some of his employees, and via a wave of customer book orders through the store’s website. (Such orders are delivered directly to customers’ home addresses.)

“It was pretty incredible,” DiGenova said of the community’s support. “The first month was kind of overwhelming. We had three people working on website orders.” 

That wave of online orders has since subsided, which was to be expected, he said. 

“We’re not known as an online retailer. It’s not the preferred method for us or our customers.”

But online orders do still help to support the store. DiGenova said he’s been trying to spread the word that Northtown can still do bulk orders for schools and institutions, too. Those are handled via email (info@northtownbooks.com) rather than the website. 

As with Gilkey, DiGenova has a few leads on possible new homes for Northtown Books, though each has its own financial and logistical challenges. He’d love to go back into the same location once it’s rebuilt, but with sky-high construction costs, the store’s rent would inevitably be much higher. Plus, there’s still no telling how long reconstruction will take.

Then there’s the matter of insurance. DiGenova said his store’s policy will cover increased rent for a limited time period but not building upgrades for landlords. Insurance adjusters have been spotted recently in hazmat suits, scouring the wreckage of the fire

Shortly after the fire there were rumors that Northtown was relocating to the former Hatchet House location on G Street, just south of the plaza, and while both Dandar’s and Northtown explored that as a possibility, it didn’t work out.

The owners of both stores said they appreciate the community’s support and will continue to work diligently toward reopening.