Reopened businesses cover breakfast, lunch and dinner on Lincoln Blvd.
Businesses are reopening at the corner of Lincoln and Broadway after an electrical fire closed the building more than two months ago.
About 120 residents and five businesses were evacuated from 1447 Lincoln Blvd. on May 8 due to an electrical fire in an underground room. The fire cut power to the building and caused a small explosion in a parking garage. About 45 firefighters from Santa Monica and Los Angeles responded to the scene with multiple trucks and ambulances. Police officers closed the surrounding streets and the fire was brought under control in about 34 minutes but residents and businesses were removed for safety purposes.
Residents were temporarily relocated throughout the region but began moving back into the building recently. Most tenants have reoccupied their original units but a few vacancies do remain on the residential side.
After weeks of closure, several businesses reopened this week including Starbucks, Fresh Brothers Pizza and Jersey Mike’s.
Business was brisk at the locations with lines out the door for the sandwich shop.
Fresh Brothers General Manager Rafael Rodriguez was supervising the Santa Monica location Tuesday afternoon.
“We have been closed for two months and it is our second day being open,” he said. “The past two days we have been very busy in the afternoon and everyone that is coming in is very happy to see us open again,” he said.
Rodriguez said locals were waiting for the stores to reopen.
“Over the past two months locals have been very upset,” he said. “What we decided to do was have an employee stand in front of the business during lunch and hand out cards with a discount code, which would give them free delivery anywhere in Santa Monica. We also sent out a blast email, and put the news all over our social media.”
Rodriguez said multiple electricians and maintenance workers have come in to make sure everything is up to date and running smoothly.
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