Sean C. Morgan
Recovering from an Aug. 25 fire that destroyed a shop and damaged inventory and the store, Sweet Home RV Center is up and running in a temporary modular unit.
“Realizing that Labor Day weekend was before us, we set up the tent next to the propane tank and started selling propane and parts,” said Mary Mansfield, who owns and operates the business with her husband, Clarence Mansfield.
Around Sept. 10, the insurance company moved in the “portable store” to the business address, 4691 Main St., Mansfield said. They’ve spent recent weeks stocking the shelves, and they’re starting to fill them up.
Donna Price, owner of Foster Lake Mall, provided shelving to Sweet Home RV.
Parts are available at the store and to order, Mansfield said. Parts ordered by 5 p.m. are delivered by 8 a.m. the following day.
The Mansfields don’t have a shop space open yet, but Clarence Mansfield is winterizing RVs and repairing appliances, jobs that don’t require a shop.
“If people have a job, call us and see if it’s something we can do,” Mary Mansfield said.
Business has been rough since the fire, but it’s improving as people realize Sweet Home RV is still functioning.
“Once people are realizing we’re open, they’re coming and buying what they need to help themselves, but it also helps us,” Mansfield said. Insurance is going to take care of the business and buildings, but the fire has left the Mansfields without a personal income.
They are accepting donations through a Go Fund Me page, accessible through sweethomervcenter.com. Donations also may be given at Umpqua Bank.
“People have been really good, bringing food for lunches, bringing food for the crew,” Mansfield said.
Much of the store is salvageable, she said. The building structures remain intact, so the Mansfields are anticipating reopening in their permanent buildings early next year.
The business was founded in the 1970s, and the Mansfields purchased it in 1991.
“We’re trying to keep a positive outlook and move forward,” Mansfield said.
Fire investigators believe sparks from a grinder caused the fire, which started in the shop.
Firefighters responded to the call to 4691 Main St. at 10:59 p.m on Aug. 25 to find the shop fully involved and about to break through to the attached store, which was full of smoke.