Arcata Businesses Rebuild After Fire, Owners Cite Overwhelming Community Support

Northtown Books owner Dante DiGenova announced last week that his store will reopen alongside Dandar's Boardgames and Books at 737 G Street, the former Hatchet House building a short walk from the Plaza. DiGenova and Dandar's owners Dan Gilkey and Doranna Benker Gilkey are preparing to sign shared leases on the space, with building access expected May 1 and a target opening of July, or August at the latest. The announcement comes exactly three months after a wind-driven fire tore through the 800 block of 10th Street and left an estimated $18 million in damage across Arcata's historic downtown.

Arcata Fire District crews spotted the smoke at approximately 2:30 p.m. on January 2 while returning from a separate medical call. By the time an engine company reached the 800 block of 10th Street, a large two-story commercial structure was already fully involved. The fire ultimately destroyed seven businesses and a row of upstairs apartments. Northtown Books, which had operated continuously since 1965, was a total loss. So were Dandar's Boardgames and Books, Global Village Gallery, Vanilla Sky Company, Tenth Street Studios, and three Hensel's Ace Hardware specialty shops: the candy store, kitchen store, and paint shop. Five additional businesses sustained smoke, heat, or water damage. Firefighters kept the blaze from reaching the Minor Theatre and the main Ace Hardware building. The cause remains undetermined; investigators found no evidence of foul play.

DiGenova had initially explored the Allen Building on H Street near the Arcata Theatre, but internal reconstruction costs there proved prohibitive. Dandar's had been running a temporary operation out of Jacoby's Storehouse while both stores searched for a permanent home. Whether the G Street location opens in July or slips to August will hinge on what fire-safety upgrades and interior renovation the building requires before occupancy.

The $18 million in estimated losses has far outpaced formal relief totals, though the scale of community response has been striking. Humboldt Made, working with the Arcata Chamber of Commerce, the City of Arcata, the Small Business Development Center, and Pay It Forward Humboldt, launched the Arcata Fire Relief Fund after the PG&E Corporation Foundation committed an unsolicited $50,000 to seed it. The fund operates as a 100 percent pass-through donation, with no administrative fees. A separate "Arcata Rising" radio fundraiser weekend generated more than $30,000 for the fund, and a GoFundMe campaign for Northtown Books alone reached nearly $97,963 toward a $100,000 goal within days of the fire.

Arcata Chamber executive director Meredith Maier said the organization deployed a needs assessment survey to direct where pooled dollars go. "Our priority is listening first and responding with intention," Maier said. "The Needs Assessment Survey will help us understand exactly what our businesses and employees need, and the interactive map will make it easy for the community to show up in meaningful, coordinated ways."

Rosa Dixon, executive director of Humboldt Made, described what the recovery effort is ultimately defending: "These businesses are not just storefronts. They are the heart of our local economy and culture."

For Northtown Books, which absorbed sixty years of foot traffic and community loyalty before the fire reduced it to rubble in under an hour, the clock toward a summer reopening is now running.