LIBERTY, Maine — A community is rallying behind the employees of a popular store that was gutted by fire earlier this month.
A blaze broke out on Nov. 15 at Peavey’s General Store on Belfast Augusta Road. Firefighters managed to extinguish the flames, but not before much of the building’s interior and the shop’s inventory were destroyed by smoke, fire or water. The state fire marshal’s office later attributed the fire to an electrical problem in the bathroom.
The store was insured, and while the building is still standing, the interior was badly damaged.
The community has already rallied behind the store’s owner, Carrie Peavey, a town selectman who has run the establishment for 18 years, and her six employees. Peavey had insurance, but the store’s workers have been out of work since the fire.
Friends have set up a benefit potluck dinner to raise money for the employees. It is scheduled for 5-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30, at the Liberty Community Center on Route 220.
Donations have poured in from across Waldo County in the days since the fire. Dozens of businesses and individuals have donated items and gift cards to raffle off, ranging from a $25 salon gift certificate to a $1,800 heat pump. Other items include a chain saw, hand-blown ornaments, lobsters and massages.
Jackie Boulay, the owner’s daughter, was working at the store the night the fire broke out. She called 911 that night after smelling smoke.
“At the time, I wasn’t panicked,” Boulay said. “It’s after when you realize how bad it was that it becomes scary.”
Boulay said she and Peavey were “awestruck” by the community’s response thus far.
“It’s unbelievable,” Boulay said Wednesday. “I know there are people who have less than I do that are donating. It’s heartwarming.”
In addition to the dinner, an account for cash donations has been set up, with checks payable to Liberty Community Pay it Forward, P.O. Box 226, Liberty 04949.
More details about the event are available on its Facebook page, named “Potluck benefit dinner for the Peavey’s employees.”
Peavey plans to rebuild, according to her daughter. The current building will have to be razed and replaced with a redesigned store, Boulay said. That work likely won’t be able to start until spring or later, so Peavey plans to reopen in another temporary store with staple items to get through the winter.
Follow Nick McCrea on Twitter at @nmccrea213.