This story by Darren Marcy was originally published in the Valley News on Sept. 1.
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Nearly all of the businesses in the Gates Briggs Building have reopened following an Aug. 15 flood, except for Tuckerbox, a landmark restaurant that likely won’t be open for at least another month.
The 130-year-old block building was flooded with an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 gallons of water when an automated sprinkler line broke, filling the basement with up to 3 feet of water in some areas.
The entire building was closed for 1½ days, with many businesses and upstairs offices allowed to reopen on Aug. 17 once the building was deemed safe.
Another business that was closed longer than the others, Piecemeal Pies, reopened Wednesday.
Front-of-house manager Kimberly Pierce said business was probably double what it would be on a normal day.
“People are very excited to have us back,” Pierce said. “Today was really busy.”
Pierce said their basement also flooded but they stored only paper goods downstairs, so the impact was limited.
Vural and Jackie Oktay, owners of Tuckerbox, returned from Turkey at 2 a.m. Wednesday and 12 hours later were still trying to wrap their heads around their losses.
The couple hadn’t been on vacation in eight years and had been out of the country less than a week when they learned about the flood.
But coming home and seeing the damage firsthand was overwhelming.
“We’re very determined,” Jackie Oktay said Wednesday. “But it’s going to be a tough road.”
With losses that could reach $1 million, Jackie Oktay said, the couple were hoping insurance would help, but said they’d be lucky if they covered 60% of their losses.
Currently, the restaurant’s basement is still being cleaned, and there’s no word yet on mold or how much damage there might be to floors or walls. The business lost most of its food stored in a 19-foot walk-in refrigerator and freezer unit that had just been purchased in the spring.
In preparation for their trip and to have stock after their return, the Oktays packed the basement with 1½ months of supplies.
The 3 feet of water and silt that poured into the basement may have ruined the new refrigeration unit, and it tainted all the food except that which was on the top shelf.
“It’s hundreds of thousands of dollars in goods,” Jackie Oktay said.
The cleanup and reconstruction costs are yet to be determined, but the restaurant lost equipment and supplies as well as expensive spices that had just been imported from Turkey.
The Oktays have resorted to renting a refrigeration truck at $350 a day to keep what’s left of its stock cold.
And they’re continuing to pay employees.
“We have great employees,” Jackie Oktay said. “We don’t want to lose them.”
Tuckerbox, which opened in 2008, was purchased by the Oktays in November 2013, and they made Turkish food its central focus. They doubled capacity to 100 indoor seats and now serve between 400 and 500 diners per day.
Hundreds of those customers have flooded the couple’s inbox with offers of help and donations.
A crowdfunding campaign, as of Wednesday afternoon, had raised $55,820 of a $100,000 goal, with 464 donations made.
It’s that kind of support that the Oktays say will keep them committed to returning to their corner in downtown White River Junction.
Vural Oktay said they brought Turkish food to town, but Tuckerbox belongs to the community, and Jackie Oktay said the restaurant will definitely reopen.
David Briggs, who manages the building for the family trust that owns it, said the final parts to fix the sprinkler system arrived, and the repair should be completed by the weekend, with cleanup completed next week.
Briggs also said the electrical damage has proven to not be as severe as feared, and temporary circuits will be in place soon with permanent repairs completed in time.
The Briggs Opera House remains closed. Because there was nothing scheduled at the upstairs performance space, a more comprehensive inspection has been scheduled to take advantage of the quiet moment in the schedule.
