Not all earthquake losses are measurable by money

SCOTT WYLAND, THE OLYMPIAN

OLYMPIA -- To Betty Druzianize, the earthquake that shook her gift shop was capricious because it left many of her glass objects untouched, while destroying others.

Druzianize estimates she lost $15,000 worth of glassware. Her earthquake insurance will cover about 90 percent of the financial loss, but some losses go beyond money, she said.

Although she can restock her shelves, many of the glass figures that shattered on her shop floor are irreplaceable, she said.

"We had some beautiful pieces from Italy that we can't order again," Druzianize said. "One shelf had six Italian birds, $192 each. We had another shelf of Italian angels and -- whoop! -- they broke like that."

Druzianize is among the downtown merchants who have begun cleaning up the earthquake's wreckage.

Business owners agree that the downtown retail district is certain to be scarred. At the least, it will never be the same.

"Right now, it looks pretty devastating," said Connie Lorenz, coordinator for the Downtown Olympia Association. "This is affecting small businesses, large businesses. It's just all over the map."

The immediate goal for merchants is getting over the shock and re-opening their businesses, Lorenz said.

Lorenz and other association members will meet with city officials today to find out what businesses and the city can do to restore what has been a commercially vibrant downtown.

Lorenz said she is heartened that President Bush declared six Western Washington counties a disaster area. That means money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be available to Olympia businesses, she said.

Many business owners have been barred from their own workplaces because the buildings have been deemed unsafe, Lorenz said, adding that she can't enter her downtown office.

Drees owner Ruthann Goularte spent Thursday cleaning up broken glass.

She lost a lot of expensive merchandise in the earthquake, and she doesn't have insurance.

But she worries more about having to stay closed indefinitely. Her building was tagged yellow, meaning she can come and go, but she can't operate a business there.

"I'm very anxious for downtown," Goularte said. "It's a sad, sad little place now."

Druzianize said she feels sad at the thought of older structures, such as the Olympian Apartments, being condemned.

Fireside Book Store owner Jane Laclergue has been unable to enter her shop in the Olympian building because it has been tagged red.

Laclergue said her bookstore has been in the building for 21 years. She named the store the Fireside because it's next to a large fireplace in the lobby.

If she had to move, she would lose the fireplace symbolism as well as the building's old-style charm, she said.

"I could carry the books out," she said, "but I couldn't carry out the ambiance of that bookstore."

Scott Wyland is a business reporter for The Olympian. He can be reached at 357-0748.

The Olympian Copyright 2000

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