Fire damages stores on Main Street in Sayville; owners vow to reopen

Dominique Maciejka’s soot-covered hands cradled a papier mâché mutant mask outside her boarded-up vintage boutique in Sayville on Saturday afternoon.

The work-in-progress Halloween costume and a vintage Chanel necklace around her neck were among the few cherished items she salvaged from her shop after a fast-moving fire damaged several Main Street stores Friday evening.

“I’m going to work on this,” Maciejka, 40, said of the costume. “I need a hobby to calm me down over the next couple of days."

Business owners Saturday were sorting through ruined inventories, waiting on insurance adjusters and vowing to reopen. Fellow shopkeepers and customers passing by offered big hugs, cups of coffee and words of encouragement: “Keep your head up" and “Hang in there,” as fundraising efforts got underway to help businesses recover from Friday’s fire.

The Sayville Fire Department responded to reports of a blaze on Main Street around 5:39 p.m. Friday, according to a spokesperson from Suffolk County Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services.

Eight other fire departments assisted at the scene and provided coverage for Sayville, according to Sayville Fire Department spokesperson Don Marra.

Windy conditions made battling the flames difficult at times, he said.

Sayville firefighters were called back to the scene around 11:39 p.m. Friday to extinguish a smoldering pocket of fire, according to Marra.

Officials said no injuries were reported and the cause of the fire remained under investigation by the Suffolk County Police Department’s arson squad.

Maciejka was in her Paper Doll Vintage Boutique with two customers and their newborn when they smelled smoke and evacuated. “I tried to turn around … and the building was already starting to fill with black smoke,” she said.

The flames appeared to originate in a storefront once occupied by Cafe Joelle, which had  moved to a larger space down the road over the summer. Kyle Kenney, one of the cafe's owners, said renovations were underway in the old space for a new restaurant, but he declined to comment further.

James Santana, the manager of Androids Amazing Comics around the corner on Railroad Avenue, said he smelled smoke in his store before firefighters arrived.

He said that as the sun set, ash “fell like snow” from the sky.

“There were cars covered in it,” he added.

The blaze spread east, damaging a total of five stores, including Boris’ Barber Shop, Sayville Running Company and Hammer & Stain. Two second-story offices were also damaged, according to Eileen Tyznar, head administrator of the Greater Sayville Chamber of Commerce.

Tyznar launched the Main Street Fire Relief Fund on the chamber website and said all contributions will go to impacted business owners.

“We kept [the businesses] alive during COVID. To have this happen when they finally started getting back on their feet is just sad,” she said.

Ahead of the holiday shopping season, Tyznar said the fire damage underscores the importance of shopping locally this year. “They’re going to need us now more than ever," she said. "They rely on seasonal money."

Maciejka plans to place salvageable items in her Patchogue store and pop up at other Sayville businesses for the holidays. In the meantime, she is allowing herself to dream about reopening in Sayville, perhaps in a larger location. “I’m just trying to stay hopeful,” she said.

Hammer & Stain craft studio owner Sandra Bernius said the shop will temporarily close due to heavy water damage but plans to continue hosting workshops at off-site locations.

At the Sayville Running Company, the acrid smell of smoke lingered, tainting the merchandise as a total loss.

Water dripped from spots where ceiling tiles fell from the pressure, leaving a trail of puddles through the store.

Co-owner Michael Nolan said it was “imperative” to find a temporary location “so we can still have a heartbeat.”

Nolan, sleep deprived and still in shock, remained optimistic about the future of the business.

“We’re endurance athletes,” he said. “We’re a resilient bunch.”

With Nicholas Grasso