The original Trader Horn store on Route 422 remains open after a fire temporarily shut it down last month. Permitting has slowed repairs, but customers have not been impacted.

Franklin Twp — After suffering an electrical fire one month ago, the original Trader Horn store on Route 422 remains open and business is back to normal. Although permitting has delayed repairs to the store that first opened in 1958, customers have not been impacted.

“I’m glad that they were able to reopen so quickly, especially with the holidays around the corner,” said Don Stitt of Prospect.

No merchandise was damaged by the fire because an interior roof kept fire, smoke and water damage to a minimum.

Pat Green, operations manager, said the company is waiting on permits from Franklin Township and Butler County, which are required before any repair work can start. However, they are making progress as building inspectors visited the store last week and repairs will likely include a new roof and some exterior siding.

The company is still waiting on a final cost estimate of the damage.

The store and its 20 employees have been operating with regular services and hours since Oct. 24, less than a week after the fire broke out.

The fire started in a front corner of the store about 10 a.m. Oct. 18 and spread up the wall and back to the second floor ceiling and roof. There was some damage to the exterior corner of the store, but there were no injuries.

When firefighters arrived, they had to wait for West Penn Power to turn off the electricity. The fire was then extinguished within 25 minutes by the about 50 firefighters from 10 fire departments.

Trader Horn has seven other stores including three in Butler County. Headquartered in Penn Township, the company employs about 400 people.