Colonial Shoe Repair owner says business will reopen after fire

WARREN — A fire in a first-floor room in the back of a building at 470 E. Market Street will close the historic Colonial Shoe Repair for a while, but the business will reopen, said Sammy Revmatas, the business owner.

Warren firefighters were called to the building at about 6 a.m. and found "smoke everywhere," said Neil Heller, assistant Warren fire chief. Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire.

The fire caused smoke and water damage to the repair shop and other parts of the building, Heller said, adding that he can't estimate the amount of damage or the cause until an investigator looks it over.

Heller and Revmatas said elderly gentlemen use the back room to drink coffee and play cards at various times of the day and evening, but none of them were apparently there when the fire started, and there were no injuries.

Revmatas said the repair shop will probably need roof repairs, new wiring and general cleanup before it can reopen. The shop has been in business since the 1920s and has been owned by his family since his father first owned it in the late 1960s, Revmatas said.