Two years have passed since the blaze that devastated historic downtown Hillsboro — but echoes of the four-alarm fire continue to ring throughout the community.

On the morning of Jan. 2, 2022, flames engulfed the Weil Arcade commercial building on Main Street. It took days for firefighters to stamp out the last of the hot spots, and human remains were found in the scorched site over a month after the tragedy.

Constructed in 1919, the building lacked modern fire suppression systems, resulting in a rapid spread of flames. But the New Year’s weekend fire was not the result of negligence from building owners; Hillsboro-resident Roel “Rolanda” Leon was arrested on suspicion of deliberately setting the fire, and is still facing charges of arson and murder.

The wreckage displaced eight businesses in Hillsboro’s downtown core, and over 20 neighboring stores were affected from road closures, smoke damage or electrical issues. Among those forced to close was the Hillsboro Pharmacy and Fountain — the city’s oldest operating business.

While the pharmacy was largely unscathed by the actual fire, smoke and water damage left the storefront inhabitable.

Since moving into a temporary location on Southeast Second Avenue, pharmacy owner Jasmine Nguyen has set sights on revamping the original storefront. In coordination with building owner Bob Herb, Nguyen has worked on plans to get things back up and running on Main Street with twice the footprint of the store that was damaged by the fire.

“I bought the Hillsboro pharmacy because I like the history of it,” Nguyen, who purchased the store a little over two months before the fire, said Friday, Jan. 5.

Opening in 1873, the pharmacy has provided prescription needs and food through its “fountain,” serving up breakfast meals and practically every flavor of shake.

The old space will be entirely dedicated to the fountain portion of the business, which will offer everything on the original menu, Nguyen said. She added that the food site will also expand with Vietnamese cuisine, including dishes like pho, banh mi and spring rolls. A coffee shop featuring Vietnamese coffee and boba tea will also be added.

As for the pharmacy itself, the business will operate out of the next-door area that used to be occupied by Crystal Heart Books. Nguyen said more services are being added as well, including increased at-home care for patients.

Financially, the pharmacy has been suffering since the fire, according to Nguyen. Low-reimbursement rates from insurance companies have put strain on the business, and Nguyen added that many people still do not know the pharmacy is open at the temporary location.

“It’s just tough on the financial side of the pharmacy, because the majority of people think we closed after the fire,” Nguyen said.

Although the pharmacy pushed for a return in 2023, Nguyen said the store is still waiting on city permits for renovations. She will also have to refile paperwork with the Drug Enforcement Administration, which she has had to do twice already.

“We are thinking we might move back in the next two or three months,” Nguyen said.

When the pharmacy does make its grand return, Nguyen hopes the food and location will see more returning customers.

“We are excited to go back and open the fountain to help us support the pharmacy,” she said.

Community resurgence

When the fire tore through the Weil Arcade, Lucia Nguyen’s dream of owning a dress shop was on the verge of collapsing.

At the age of 24, Lucia Nguyen, no relation to Jasmine Nguyen, opened a clothing boutique on Main Street, saving up over years of working multiple jobs. After five months of starting her own business, she received a call that everything she worked for was destroyed.

“It was pretty surreal,” the Hillsboro-raised business owner said last week. “It didn’t really hit until maybe two days later; that’s when I had this meltdown from everything that happened.”

Instead of giving up, Lucia Nguyen looked to her faith — and her prayers were answered.

Community members rallied together to help the businesses affected by the fire, volunteering to help salvage what they could from the charred building and starting donation drives to support those in need.

The Hillsboro Downtown Partnership — a nonprofit committed to supporting local businesses — notably distributed $157,000 through direct grants to impacted businesses.

“We just wanted there to be a spot where people could donate money that we could distribute equitably,” said EJ Payne, executive director of the Hillsboro Downtown Partnership.

The dress shop and the pharmacy were both supported by the nonprofit, and Payne said the partnership helped get both businesses into new locations.

“We gave up (our office at the time) and had the dress shop move in, and then we knew there was another vacancy, so we helped work with the property owner to get the pharmacy in there as soon as possible,” Payne said.

Volunteers worked together to help paint, replace tiles and clean windows in the new spaces, and Nguyen was able to open her dress shop within a week — just in time for a pop-up event the shop had scheduled before the fire.

While the memory of the fire burns on, Nguyen has taken major steps forward.

In addition to selling dresses on Second Avenue, Nguyen just opened up another storefront back on Main Street in November.

“We saw that we were outgrowing the space that we’re currently in, so we decided to open up the location on Main Street specifically for bridal services,” Nguyen said. “We are very grateful to our community, and we just hope to still continue to grow and be able to offer fashion show events in the upcoming year.”

Steps ahead

In spite of the tragedy, downtown Hillsboro has pressed forward in many ways: The area is brimming with new businesses, food cart expansions and cultural initiatives.

The Venetian Hillsboro, a historic theater turned event venue, is one of many businesses that recently found its footing in the aftermath of the fire.

Purchased in 2020, NW Events & Environments took over the dormant building with plans to transform it into a fine dining establishment. But when operations were finally ready to kick off after a return from the COVID-19 pandemic, the fire shut its doors.

“We were ramping up business, and then all of a sudden it stopped again,” said Dylan Welles, general manager of the Venetian.

The theater, which had already endured two historic fires — one in 1925 when it was called “Liberty Theatre” and another in 1956 that reduced it to rubble — was well prepared for another disaster, Welles explained.

The Venetian suffered smoke damage from the fire on Jan. 2, 2022, but the owners were quick to jump on insurance claims and clear out the toxic air. After only a two-week closure, the restaurant reopened.

“During that time, street closures were happening; there was a huge unknown with what was going to develop after being open again,” Welles said. “We just saw that (business) wasn’t getting any better, so we had to close again.”

After the restaurant closed for the last time in July 2022, the Venetian pivoted to the larger goal for the space: offering event rentals.

The newly-renovated space now hosts events of all kinds, ranging from quinceañeras to weddings to high school proms.

“The ultimate vision for the Venetian Hillsboro was to do what we’re doing now,” Welles explained. “Between October and December of last year, we had over 2,000 new people in here; it’s a pretty big deal for us. And we have seen growth in the last couple of years.”

“Despite all of the adversity and challenges all of us businesses have endured, I think we’ve all definitely moved forward because people are still eager to come downtown.”

Construction is underway to resurrect the lot where the Weil Arcade once stood — just three storefronts away from the Venetian. Plans were announced for a new food cart pod to open around July, but Welles said permitting has pushed back the timeline for the neighboring venture.

“The pharmacy has some time left to go; the new food cart pod has some time left to go,” Welles said. “I have seen the struggles and amount of work that has been put in to try to just get this back on its feet — it’s taken two years and more.”