Saskatoon business hopes to recover from fire before Christmas

For 20 years, Backside Boardshop has been a part of the business community in Saskatoon.

Now it’s owner, Mike Napper, is dealing with the unexpected.

A fire hit the business at 33rd street and 3rd Avenue on Oct. 24 causing quite a bit of damage.

It started in the roof and between the smoke and the water used by firefighters, all the clothing inside the store is pretty much damaged.

“It’s a little bit difficult to go through everything,” said Napper. “You have to find out what’s damaged, what can be salvaged. Then you have to figure out how to re-stock and get inventory in before Christmas.”

Napper is hopeful he can have the store up and running again by at least December.

Whether that’s in the original store or a temporary location, he’s looking forward to getting back to work.

“It’s a busy time of year for us. It’s going to be a challenge to get product, find a space to sell out of, and just offer the service we’re used to providing. It’s going to be one of the tougher challenges I’ve faced over the twenty years.”