Downtown merchants mix frustration with optimism

MICHAEL BURNHAM, THE OLYMPIAN

"This is going to be devas-tating to the area. "Many of these businesses were marginal to begin with." -- Paul Seabert, owner, Wind Up Here toy store

OLYMPIA -- Coop's Caddie had life in it after all.

Wednesday morning's magnitude 6.8 earthquake shook free the entire half-block of terra cotta cornice that lined the top of Fifth Avenue's Washington Federal Savings branch.

It hit building owner Steve Cooper's curb-side Cadillac with a ton of bricks.

The dog in the back seat escaped, still wagging his tail, despite the shower of bricks that crumpled the hood.

But when Cooper sheepishly turned the key on Thursday, the engine rumbled to life.

The hazard lights blinked on, no less.

The car was a lost cause, Cooper knew, but in some way it marked one small reason to celebrate amid Olympia's biggest disaster in 52 years.

"The good news is we've got earthquake insurance," Cooper said, pointing to the beat-up Washington Federal building and his two other structures along the block. "There's probably $1 million worth of damage here."

At once, the Caddie seemed to symbolize downtown's odd mixture of hope and frustration.

Wednesday's quake struck Olympia harder than anywhere else.

More than a dozen downtown buildings still are closed to occupancy.

Lunch-hour sidewalks normally packed with legislative session crowds are sealed off with yellow caution tape and chain-link fencing.

The Fourth Avenue bridge, downtown's traffic lifeline to the city's west side, is unusable.

"It's going to take a long time to get back to where we were," lamented police Officer Sam Costello, an Olympia native who guarded a fence along the Fifth Avenue block from souvenir hounds and the curious.

For Joey Larocque's family business, The Painted Plate, the future hangs in limbo.

City building inspectors on Wednesday issued the Washington Street business a limited-entry yellow tag.

"For us, everything is unknown -- whether we can stay, when we can reopen," said Larocque, who added that the quake damaged about $5,000 worth of pottery.

Others quietly wondered whether downtown's mom-and-pop businesses would be able to outlive the financial losses, repair and cleanup costs.

"This is going to be devastating to the area," said Paul Seabert, owner of downtown's Wind Up Here toy store, which was also issued a yellow tag. "Many of these businesses were marginal to begin with."

Olympia Downtown Association Coordinator Connie Lorenz said the quake had poor timing.

"We're in the height of the legislative session," Lorenz said. "That's a big impact on downtown."

Still, those who ventured around downtown on Thursday seemed to agree there was more to be thankful for than just an engine's rumble amid rubble.

"The character of downtown is not going to change," vowed Mayor Stan Biles, who toured Thursday morning's rainy streets with Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Joe Allbaugh. "I don't think we're crippled by any means. Ninety percent of downtown businesses are functioning as normal today."

Biles was buoyed by Allbaugh's visit.

"I got an oral commitment from FEMA to give us assistance as quickly as possible," added Biles, who will meet with federal Department of Housing and Urban Development officials today.

Biles could also meet with Gov. Gary Locke as soon as today to discuss steps to speed up the environmental permit process for the Fourth Avenue bridge.

Construction of a new bridge was to begin in 2003, but Biles said the arterial is needed now.

Olympia Fire Department crews retrieved seven cats from the Olympian Apartments housed in the old Olympia Hotel on Washington Street.

Fifty tenants and staff members from eight businesses were evacuated Wednesday from the 1919 structure, where plaster walls were marbled with cracks and an elevator remained inoperable.

Just minutes earlier, engineers touring Wind Up Here -- where puzzle boxes and board games littered narrow aisles -- assured Seabert that business could resume within days.

When engineer assessments are in, it's the city's call on when and if buildings will be opened for occupancy, housing specialist Ken Black said.

Two downtown buildings with restrictive entry tags were cleared for regular occupancy Thursday, and notification will continue today, Olympia Building official Brian Washko said.

City officials will determine the quake's estimated financial effect on Olympia by Tuesday, Biles said.

Counting the losses could get messy, downtown workers said.

"It's going to be a while until we know the true financial impact," ODA's Lorenz said. "We can't even get into our buildings."

Nevertheless, Lorenz and other downtown workers said the disaster has brought the community together.

"It's great to be downtown," said Anne deMarcken of Wovie, a new media company that moved next door to the downtown Washington Federal Savings facility Jan. 28. "You always see downtown people pool together with these types of things.

"It puts everything into perspective -- what's important."

Michael Burnham covers Olympia for The Olympian. He can be reached at 704-6869.

The Olympian Copyright 2000

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