LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. — In downtown Lake Oswego, several businesses are reopening after a pipe burst and flooded their spaces Jan. 11.
"It's been really hard," said Kim Pelett, who owns City Home at 390 North State Street. "The entire store was flooded; three inches of water streaming down from the ceilings. It was heartbreaking."
Since the incident, Pelett and her staff have been working to dry out and salvage what they could.
Next door at Mapel Boutique, owner Staci Barnes has been wading through the same crisis.
"We came into rainfall inside of our space," said Barnes.
That included bins of clothing soaked in flood water, as well as a half inch of water on the floor. She's thankful for what they could save and is bracing for what they can't control.
"We know that there's going to be some damage likely to the walls, the floors," said Barnes. "We're not quite sure yet; they're still assessing that."
Barnes said worst-case scenario, the building may need major repairs, which would fall to the owner to address. But she said that would likely mean her business and others would have to close again for a time, which is why this weekend is so critical.
"We are going to temporarily open back up for the weekend," said Barnes. "We miss our customers; it's been over a week since we've seen them."
Barnes said as a weekend promotion, customers would get a $20 gift certificate with every purchase. At City Home, Pelett said they would offer everything in the store — damaged or not — at 50% off.
Both business owners said they're overwhelmed by the community's support.
"Especially here in Lake Oswego with trees falling into people's homes," said Pelett. "People are reaching out wanting to help, and it's been such a blessing."