‘We’ve all been waiting’: Sety’s hardware store reopens original location two years after fire

CHEWELAH – In August 2023, Nica Kubik left her Thursday shift at the Sety’s Ace Hardware garden center expecting to return the next day to business as usual. Or at least a building to do business in.

“Then I got a call at midnight saying, ‘Work’s on fire,’ ” she said. “And you come in Friday and see the smoldering building, and you’re like, ‘OK, what’s going to happen?’ ”

Though she no longer works there, she returned Monday as one of the many excited customers attending the Chewelah hardware store’s soft opening.

The family -owned store opened with a tenacious trickle of townspeople eager to tour the building after almost two years of recovering from the fire.

Paul Sety, the owner of the store and one of the first volunteer firefighters on the scene that night, is grateful for his store’s restoration.

“I think we’d take our old location back in a heartbeat, but the construction feels good,” Sety said. “Feels good to have a roof over our heads and be moving.”

The fire didn’t just destroy merchandise and material – it also burned history. The 117-year-old building was designed by Kirtland Cutter, the renowned architect behind Spokane’s Davenport Hotel.

For years, it operated as the Yale Hotel, serving as a hub for society and business in Chewelah until its closure in 1959.

Then in 1968, Paul Sety’s father, Frank Sety, bought the building, renovated its exterior walls and installed awning to replicate Cutter’s original design and preserve its history. The store is one of the oldest Ace Hardware locations in the Northwest.

Sety’s has since been a staple on Chewelah’s Main Street for decades, making its destruction a hard cross to bear for residents and store employees alike.

The fire destroyed three attached buildings that made up the hardware store. The cause has not been determined. The Yale, a coffee shop at the corner of the building also owned by the Setys, was saved in time by the fire department, narrowly avoiding fire damage.

During the time between the fire and its reopening, the store had to take on a creative temporary fix.

Luckily, their garden center located across the street was spared from most of the fire’s destructive reach. Its space was converted into a layout of 13 shipping containers filled with the store’s products, and functioned as a makeshift store for almost two years.

Though they did what they could, the situation was less than ideal for staff. Employees had to brave harsh winter weather, and the limited space only allowed for about 80% of product to hit the shelves.

“It’s a testament to us also supporting the community just as much as they support our business,” said manager Tim Johnson. “Because when they’re outside having to walk from plumbing to electrical and there’s 2 feet of snow on the ground and it’s minus 7 , they’re willing to do that for the people that they live next to and live amongst.”

Though the interior is largely new – its shiny black shelves filled with new product give off a distinctly modern image – remnants of its history are still scattered around the store.

The original building’s exterior red facade is mostly still standing. Inside, bits of old brick and tile peek through the dark gray walls. A corner of the building is dedicated to the store’s history, featuring old furniture and a case filled with fire-damaged equipment Sety scavenged after the fire.

But an original sign owned by Sety’s grandfather is quite possibly the loudest of the remnants. The old metal logo reading “SETY’S” is positioned right by the store’s entrance, equipped with a bell hanging at the bottom for customers to ring if they are satisfied with their customer service experience.

Monday, the echoing clangs were followed by whoops and cheers from employees scattered throughout the store.

“We’ve had a lot of people come through the doors already today,” said manager Matt Enzweiler. “Everybody’s really just excited to see how the store looks. I think people are almost shocked at how nice it is in here.”

Among the excited shoppers was Julie Hansen, a new Chewelah resident. She had visited the older location a few times and was surprised by the size of the renovated building.

“It’s a whole new world,” Hansen said. “It’s pretty amazing. I’m so far getting lost in all the new aisles.”

Returning to town after five weeks away, Chewelah resident Diana Kinzler was shocked to see the refurbished building.

“I was driving down Main Street, and when I saw that Sety’s sign, I just totally got emotional over the whole thing,” Kinzler said. “We’ve all been waiting, and the loyalty of their employees to work all seasons across the street is just phenomenal.”

Sety’s Ace Hardware will host its official grand opening Aug. 22-24. The weekend event will feature vendors, raffles and bucket sales, with proceeds supporting a different local charity each day.