I heard about this last night from Val Ives, and now this afternoon the story itself appears on Publishers’ Weekly’s THE BEAT. From the Ohio University Post:

As workers at the Universe of Heroes comic book store clear the crisped comic books and charred merchandise, co-owners Tom Green and Todd Grace now face the question of what’s next.

The two owners face an estimated $100,000 in lost merchandise — a cost that will fall on them. Insurance is expected to cover the estimated $200,000 in damages to the building and the apartments above the store.

“We must gather what is left of the store and try to build back up,” Grace said.

Insurance on structural damage covers all of the building including the apartments above the store. Senior Chris Hess, who finished moving into his apartment above the store just one day before the fire, said that he and his three roommates are being forced to either find somewhere else to stay or go home for the next month while the building is repaired.

While insurance will cover the building’s damages, it will not cover the damage to Hess and his roommates’ personal belongings. Hess said that everything in the apartment, including their furniture, televisions, food and even his roommate’s new puppy, was covered with a dark tint caused by black soot.

The funding for the store’s rebuilding is still up in the air.

[more]

For those that don’t know, Todd’s a very good friend of mine from college. He moved back to Athens after law school with his family and went into practice, getting into the comics and gaming business a bit later. (The store they bought used to be this pit of a place, the epitome of the seedy comics store; they turned into one of the nicest and most friendly shops I’ve ever been in.) Hopefully they’ll get the place back on its feet. We’re thinking about you, Todd.