FALMOUTH, Trelawny — Despite suffering millions of dollars in losses during Tuesday’s massive fire which gutted Richie’s Big Deal Store, along with Slots of Fun Bar and Gaming Lounge in Falmouth, Manager Mark Cummings says the immediate focus is on ensuring that parents preparing for the back-to-school season will still have access to much-needed fabrics and supplies.

According to Cummings, measures have been implemented to refurbish a nearby location to temporarily house the popular fabric store, with plans to reopen today.

“It has been a tremendous loss but the focus right now is not on what we have lost. Our priority is to make sure we have fabric for the hundreds of parents who have been depending on the store every year for their back-to-school needs,” Cummings said.

The store, long regarded as a staple in Trelawny for school-related materials, is the only outlet in the parish offering a wide variety of fabrics and supplies used for all school uniforms.

Cummings disclosed that a location next door at 15 Duke Street, in the commercial complex housing Falmouth Chicken, has been identified and renovated to accommodate customers of Richie’s Big Deal.

“Come Saturday morning we’ll be up and running for parents to come in and buy uniforms and materials,” he said.

The temporary location where Richie’s Big Deal Store is expected to reopen in Falmouth today. Horace Hines

The move comes amid growing concern from parents, many of whom feared –after news spread of the fire — they would have to travel as far as Brown’s Town, St Ann, or Montego Bay, St James, to source fabric for school uniforms, Cummings sought to calm those anxieties, assuring customers that adequate supplies will be available.

“We want to allay those fears. Parents don’t have to worry. Come Saturday morning, we will be open and ready to serve,” added Cummings.

He said more than 90 per cent of the stock was destroyed in the blaze; however, that has now been replenished.

“The good thing is our suppliers have been working with us. We have already secured a wide variety of fabrics and we also have hundreds of rolls of material in storage elsewhere. Those will be brought down to the new location,” he explained.

In addition to fabrics, the new location will contain school bags, zips, buttons, and other accessories, ensuring that customers will continue to have access to a broad range of back-to-school essentials.

For many residents, Richie’s Big Deal Store has been a long-standing tradition, serving generations of families in Trelawny and beyond. The business was operated for decades by Cummings’ mother, Daphne Richards, before her passing four years ago.

Investigators from the fire department on the job in a section of one of the buildings razed by fire in Falmouth on Tuesday. Horace Hines

Cummings said the family remains committed to preserving her legacy of service to students and parents across western Jamaica.

“They have been coming here for decades for their back-to-school needs. We want to continue that tradition and make sure parents can still get what they need,” he said.

Cummings also moved to reassure loyal patrons of Slots of Fun Bar and Gaming Lounge, which was also destroyed in the fire, that plans are in place to rebuild.

“There is no immediate plan to get that back up and running because our focus is on school right now. But to all the customers who have supported Slots and Fun for close to nine years, I can assure them that we’ll be back, bigger and stronger, before the end of the year,” he promised.

Up to late Thursday, investigators from the fire department were continuing their examination of the rubble from the fire that ravaged several properties.

On Tuesday, acting assistant commissioner of the Jamaica Fire Brigade, Roland Walters revealed that firefighters battled the blaze for approximately three hours before bringing it under control.