LEXINGTON, N.C. — It’s been five years since Jay Magana opened the doors to his restaurant The Eatery. Folks come from all over to get a taste of homemade Mexican food including quesabirrias.
“[It’s] shredded beef with cheese, cilantro and onions,” Magana said. “It’s really good. It comes with a side of broth.”
Magana grew up in Lexington and knew this was the perfect spot for his business.
“We saw the, I don’t know if ‘value’ is the word, but just to kind of be a part of the uptown family,” Magana said.
But things took a turn in May, when a fire broke out across the street from his restaurant. Flames damaged multiple businesses including Shoto’s Japanese Steakhouse and the Candy Factory. A section of North Main Street remains closed. Shattered glass still litters parts of the sidewalk, while charred remains remind onlookers of what took place here. Magana says sales have been tough as of late.
“The road closing has caused a lot of confusion about ‘is the street open, is it not open?’” Magana said. “It’s been a little rough because there’s less traffic. Days feel longer.”
City of Lexington Director of Business and Community Development Tammy Absher said the street remains closed due to public safety.
“The two front facades on the buildings that burned are not stable,” Absher said. “They’re the connecting members that were inside the buildings that kind of tie everything together are gone.”
Absher says several internal walls have collapsed since the fire. She says it’s been a collaborative effort up to this point between city leaders, property owners and demolition contractors to make sure the process runs smoothly and efficiently from here.
“Some of this is very precarious work because they will have to take certain areas down by hand, just to protect the adjoining properties,” Absher said.
Lexington Mayor Jason Hayes says it’s important to support local businesses during this time.
“The success of our uptown area is largely dependent upon people coming and visiting and being patrons of those businesses,” Hayes said.
City officials are asking for continued patience from the community. In the meantime, Magana is hoping things go back to the way they were soon.
“It’s been a struggle a little bit here and there financially and mentally, but we’ll get through this because we’re all the family here in uptown,” Magana said.
City officials say there is not a set timeline for when the street might be reopened. They’re expecting additional fencing to be put up as early as next week before starting the demolition process in early August.