They're back - with style

Amore Salon 'moving on' after arson

It's been more than a week since Amore Salon and Spa reopened the doors to its new location.

But it's not business as usual quite yet.

The salon is undergoing extensive repairs after a March 18 fire ripped through the building's basement - a fire Kalispell police think was intentionally started.

"When they came and told me it was arson, I couldn't comprehend why someone would want to do that," said Tracy Anderson, who owns the salon with her husband, Devon. "I dropped to my knees. I kept gasping. I couldn't believe it."

The fire was set just weeks after the salon moved into its new location, 35 Fifth Ave. W., on March 1. The business barely had time to settle in, Anderson said.

Detectives think the arsonist ignited an accelerant tossed through a basement window sometime during the night.

The fire burned for some time before Anderson arrived for work at about 6:45 a.m. After taking the previous day off to spend time with her son, Anderson said she came in early.

As she bent down to pick up the morning paper, she noticed smoke leaking out the door and called 911.

Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze.

"I thought we could be up and running in a couple hours," said Anderson.

But water and smoke damage to the building was extensive. The finished basement had to be gutted, upstairs walls refurbished and beauty equipment replaced.

A suspect has not been arrested, but investigators say they have an image of the perpetrator on footage from a security camera.

Anderson said the security camera was installed just a few days before the fire, after the salon's sign was vandalized.

The day after the fire, the business temporarily moved back to Amore's old location on Second Avenue East North. Much of the equipment used by the salon's nine employees was damaged.

"Not one of them complained about the loss of anything," Anderson said. "That made me feel like I had no place to boo-hoo."

With repairs still under way, Amore moved back into its Fifth Avenue West location on April 8. The atmosphere is one of organized disorder as workers compete for space with hair stylists at temporary workstations.

To date, fixing damage from the fire has cost about $250,000, Anderson said.

"But we got back in the saddle anyway," she said, observing that despite the fire and construction, clients were coming by and asking if they were open. "I thought if I stayed in the other place I would feel like a victim, and I'm not going to do that. And now we're here, which is a miracle."

The arson, the move, and the move back have been emotionally exhausting for everyone, hair stylist Machelle Nelson said.

"It was pretty devastating," said Nelson, noting that some stylists have been working with supplies temporarily stored in their cars. "It's been rough, but we're making it. We're survivors."

Anderson said she is aware the arsonist is still at large. Her husband makes sure he is present every time she locks up the salon, and the stylists are never at the business alone, she said. They have considered installing an alarm system in addition to the cameras.

"But as I look back, it really has been just a speed bump," said Anderson. "We're moving on."

Reporter Nicholas Ledden can be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com