TERRACE PARK, Ohio — Owners at a Terrace Park restaurant are figuring out what’s next after a fire early Tuesday morning forced The Birch on Indian Hill Road to temporarily close its doors.
An investigation is still ongoing, but the Terrace Park police chief said a responding officer observed an exterior outlet on fire.
There’s visible damage on the roof, and a portion of the building enclosing the patio was boarded up.
For many like Rachel Peters, the cafe retail shop is more than a business.
“The staff and the people there are always so warm and welcoming,” she said. “It’s everybody’s second living room and home away from home in the community.”
It’s why some regulars of The Birch sprung into action.
In about nine hours, nearly $15,000 poured into a GoFundMe. The owners earmarked it for their employees, who will now be out of work in the lead-up to the holidays.
The owners “thought that the very best use of community funds to help would be to support their employees doing the holidays,” Peters said.
Hannah Minor is a past PTO president of Terrace Park Elementary School, which has benefited from The Birch’s generosity.
“We’ll ask them to be our corporate sponsors, or just get the word out to other members. And they’re always the first to say yes,” Minor said.
After so many years of giving to the community, the community is giving back.
“We’re always the one calling on them and asking for their help,” Minor said. “And when we read this, we’re like, 'What can we do for them?'”
A post on The Birch's Facebook page said they will "regroup and clean things up!"
"We aren't done here yet!" the post said.
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