As what is probably the only Skagit Valley sign company that publishes its very own blog, it can be a bit of a challenge to find topics that are of general interest. Let’s face it…unless you’re in this industry, there are only so many stories you can share about sign fabrication and installation. Not that these aren’t utterly fascinating topics, mind you.
Which is why we’ve decided to create a blog series that celebrates the success of other Skagit Valley businesses (some of whom we are proud to call our customers). In thinking about a theme for this series, it occurred to us that we are in the business of calling attention to people. That’s what signs are for, after all. So what we’ve decided to do with these blogs is to call attention to people and businesses that are we think are worth taking note of. We hope these stories will inspire you, make you smile, and deepen your appreciation of our Skagit Valley communities. Welcome to “Good Signs!”
At 3:10 am on May 1st, Ben Sousa was awakened by a call from his daughter-in-law, who told him that she had just heard from a local news source that his business, Craft Stove, was burning. Seconds later, the Mount Vernon Fire Department called to confirm the worst — and shortly afterward Ben found himself standing at the intersection of his store’s location in West Mount Vernon, watching the unimaginable. Standing next to him was the man he had purchased the store from just two years earlier, Rudy Kerkvliet.
Ben’s immediate sense of devastation was temporarily muted by his admiration for the efforts of Mount Vernon’s firefighters. “We were across the street and we could feel the intensity of the fire,” he said. “It was a battle, and they were incredible. They contained the fire to only that block, and managed to save a nearby home and business.”
Watching the blaze destroy his former business — and Ben’s livelihood — Rudy turned and asked his one time employee turned business associate, “What are you going to do?” Ben didn’t have to think long about his answer.
“I knew I could just walk away,” he said, “but I had seven employees to think about, and I really loved my business — so I told Rudy I was going to keep on doing what we’d been doing. He just looked at me and told me he was on board.”
Today, barely four months after the fire that destroyed it, Craft Stove is operating out of two West Mount Vernon locations, and Ben Sousa is reviewing plans for a new showroom and warehouse to be built on the store’s original site. Like a phoenix rising out of the ashes, Craft Store’s resurgence is the story of what dedicated employees, loyal suppliers, compassionate competitors, and a supportive community can do when it comes to saving a much loved local business.
Craft Stove’s temporary storefront on Mclean Road
The morning after the fire, even as the ashes were cooling, Ben gathered his employees together for breakfast at a local restaurant to plan their future. “It was Monday, and we had a stove installation scheduled. Fortunately, the stove was in a delivery truck, and that vehicle along with our others had been parked off site. We lost some of our installation tools in the fire, but our local manufacturers provided us what we needed, and our installers and service techs were able to carry on with that week’s installs. Thanks to our crew, we didn’t miss any of our scheduled appointments. They were fantastic.”
Besides meeting customer commitments, Ben’s most pressing need was to find a temporary storefront — and product to put in it. “We went from 110 stoves on display to nothing,” he said. “We are a west end business, and I wanted us to continue to be one.” Fortunately for Craft Stove, the company owned a commercial property on Mclean Road, directly behind its former site. The location had been empty for 6 months, and Ben and his crew moved right in. “It was turnkey, but it was small and lacked storage space or the capability to serve as a distribution point.”
The Memorial Highway distribution center and showroom
Rather than accept the harsh necessity of a smaller business footprint, Ben and his employees decided that they would simply find a second location that would make up for the deficiencies of their temporary west Mount Vernon storefront. They were fortunate to find a vacant property just down the road on Memorial Highway (17675 Highway 536) that could serve a multitude of functions: office, showroom, and warehouse. “It had been empty for 18 months and was in pretty rough shape,” said Ben. “It took 20 gallons of paint, five gallons of mud, and a lot of cleaning — and too many nights of working until midnight and later — but two weeks after the fire we were back and doing business in two locations.”
Inside the Memorial Highway location
Along with the determination of his employees to save the company they had devoted so many years to, Ben acknowledges that Craft Stove’s suppliers played a huge role in sustaining his company through its time of crisis. “Two days after the fire, I got a call at 7am from the president of Travis Industries in Mukilteo. After asking if any of his company’s stoves or installations had been the cause of the fire (they weren’t), he told me that he would shut down part of his production to send people out to help us. Other vendors called us as well to offer product and extended terms to help us get back on our feet. There was something uplifting every day, and it still brings tears to my eyes.”
Ben Sousa
Even competitors came to Craft Stove’s aid, offering personnel, equipment, and displays. Rich’s for the Home in Lynwood gave up the display models they had recently purchased at trade shows. “We purchased them as pre-fab displays for our showrooms, and that was a huge assistance,” said Ben. “Having been in the hearth industry for over 30 years, we’ve learned that its a big hearted business.”
If Ben harbored any doubts about just how big hearted his industry is, his customers completely removed them. Ben tells the story of one customer with mobility issues who made it a point to climb the stairs of his Memorial Highway store just to shake his hand. “He told me, ‘My family has bought all our stoves from you, and we’re so glad you’re staying in business.’ We live in one of the best places I know of on earth, and I can’t believe the community support and the people who have wished us well.”
The new Craft Stove showroom and warehouse will be constructed on the store’s previous location in West Mount Vernon
When you think about the products Craft Stove sells, and the role they play in the lives of the customers who purchase them, perhaps our community’s affection for Ben’s business shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. After all, home is where the hearth is. As Ben Sousa and his employees look forward to the opening of their new store in 2017 — on the same site as the one destroyed by fire — they know beyond a doubt that Craft Stove will always be more than a brick and mortar facade to its customers. As a business that provides a source of warmth around which families gather, it holds a special place in their hearts.