Jennifer Hill had prepared for this, though she never expected it would happen. On a lazy Sunday afternoon, Feb. 3, she received a phone call from the office-never a good sign-with shocking news: a fire had broken out, exposing her precious cargo to the damaging effects of smoke.
She got the call from her husband, Brent-who was helping out around the shop-after two of her employees noticed the faint smell of smoke in the air. He rushed downstairs, only to be greeted with the glow of flames.
While none of the five people present were injured, more than $110,000 worth of Hill's product at Hilltop Yarn was rendered rubbish, as her shop's newly installed central light system failed and caught fire.
"For a small business, even a small fire like this is a big deal," said Hill, who's had to keep her shop closed since the fire broke out on that Sunday. "I'm so thankful I had loss of income insurance and that no one was hurt."
Hill opened Hilltop Yarn in 2002, offering perhaps the city's most diverse selection of yarn as well as teaching knitting classes for children and adults. While structural damages to the building were minimal, Hill says that having yarn exposed to carbon dioxide, even for only a moment, could ruin the product beyond repair.
After an investigation, Hill says she will not be held liable for the fire; this means she will be able to collect insurance payouts for her losses. The fire department found that the failed X10 unit, which she had recently installed to control the store's lighting, was the source of the fire.
For now, Hilltop Yarn's classes are being relocated to Queen Anne Books, Eat Local and Tully's, just down the street.
"The neighboring businesses around us have been so kind and so helpful," Hill said. "They have made this whole thing so much easier for all of us."
With the insurance payout, Hill sent off all of her damaged product to receive an ozone cleaning treatment, which removes all oxygen from the yarn fibers. Hill says the process is nearly full-proof, adding that she plans to host a sale with refurbished product for 50 percent off the original price.
Hill admits that the only real lesson in all this is in keeping close tabs on business insurance policies. If she had not renewed her policies when they were up for expiration last year, she says the situation would have been a lot different for her and her staff. Under her current policy, employees' wages are covered for the hours lost by the closure.
"It's just so important to make sure your policies are reviewed and renewed this year," she said. "We're all excited over the new challenge, when we reopen. With new inventory comes a new challenge."
Hill says that she plans on opening the store within the next week, or March 1 at the latest. For more information visit www.hilltopyarn.com.
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