Jim Taylor shows the buildings he owns on Main Street in Butler on Thursday, May 11, two years after they were severely damaged by fire. Eddie Trizzino/Butler Eagle

Two years after a fire severely damaged the building at 229 S. Main St., a new business has opened its doors there.

Shanna Haid, of Chicora, said the building in the heart of Butler’s business district was the first one she and her sister, Shaylene McDougall, saw when they were searching for a space to house their new business late last year, and they immediately fell in love with it.

“We were looking this past October and this place was up for rent, and I didn’t really know what to expect,” said Haid, owner of Crystal Coven. “I’m so glad it was saved because it’s a beautiful building.”

Jim Taylor has owned the historic building and several others on the block since 2013 and said he was devastated that they were all but destroyed by the fire on Jan. 30, 2021.

During the past two years, the other buildings have been repaired and have taken in new tenants, including Vintage Coffeehouse and Robin’s Home Thrift Store and Donation Center, while Edward Jones was able to move back into its space.

A four-alarm fire broke out at around 8:15 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021, in the building at 229 S. Main St., which housed Sir Speedy on the first floor. The blaze drew about 80 firefighters from 13 departments. The extra hands and five ladder trucks that responded helped tame the flames during a battle that lasted more than four hours. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries fighting the fire, according to Chris Switala, chief of the Butler Bureau of Fire.

Taylor commented Thursday, May 11, that the building went from having its roof mostly on the ground to refurbished and ready in just about two years.

“It was totally shot after the fire, the whole thing was down,” Taylor said.

The buildings have been in place on Main Street for about 130 years, Taylor said, and when he purchased them in 2013, they were still in decent shape. They each already housed tenants at the time he bought them, Taylor added.

Taylor said he is now “tickled pink” to see the building fixed and housing a business once again.

Audrianna Bly, president of Butler Downtown, said previously that the organization and the downtown business community are thankful that the property owners were able to rehabilitate the buildings and bring commerce back to the 200 block in the two years since the fire.

“It was kind of depressing,” Bly said of the destruction. “From it going from nothing being able to be done there and now every spot filled in, it's going to be really exciting for the city.”

Haid said she and her sister are happy to have a brick and mortar location for their shop after selling their items at vendor shows for years.

“We thought, ‘Why not take a leap of faith?’” Haid said, of their permanent shop space. “We fell in love with the space and now we’re in it.”