Mount Vernon Antique Center burns down in huge Christmas night fire
A massive fire has destroyed the Mount Vernon Antique Center at the corner of Route 1 and Mount Vernon Highway.
The fire was reported around 9:15 p.m. Monday and the first firefighters were on the scene in two minutes, according to Deputy Chief William Garrett. The blaze was already “well developed” when firefighters arrived, Garrett said, and videos taken not long after firefighters arrived show flames escaping from much of the roof of the store.
The fire was on the second floor of the two-story building when firefighters arrived, Garrett said, and it appears that the blaze started in one of the rear corners of the building. Heavy fire conditions and heat forced firefighters to withdraw from the building after initially trying to fight the fire inside.
After the withdrawal, there were various wall collapses inside the building, Garrett said.
The cause of the fire is unknown at this time. Garrett said investigators were on the scene, but that pockets of fire were still burning after 11 p.m. and firefighters were expected to be on scene through the night.
The store was closed for Christmas, according to its website, and Garrett said it appears nobody was in the building when the fire started. No injuries to firefighters were reported.
Monday night’s fire was so intense that smoke could be seen from miles away. While technically a two-alarm fire, the response from local fire departments was closer to what’s seen at a three-alarm fire, according to one firefighter at the scene. Trucks and personnel from stations in Lorton, Franconia and the city of Alexandria, among others, joined local units from Penn Daw, Mount Vernon and Woodlawn.
The nearly 16,000-square-foot building, located at 8101 Richmond Highway, was built in 1946, according to county property records. It was long home to Thieves Market.
Mount Vernon Antique Center is home to more than 30 vendors, according to a recent article in the Mount Vernon Gazette. A computer store was also located on the second floor of the store.
I used to park there every work day after taking my wife to work. Went to the 7-eleven for a cup of coffee before taking the old dog for a walk. Many times we would take a short stroll around the building before heading out for a longer walk. I must admit I never went inside. The ground were well kept up even though the building was showing its age and appeared to have used for many different business used over time. I read the Mount Vernon Gazette article and was surprised how many different business were in residence.
I have fond memories of this antique market, an antique collector since I was a child I’ve been going there for many years since it was known as Thieves Market and always had lots of fun exploring all the different little shops inside. It took a long time to see all the great antiques and I will truly miss this local landmark. Glad nobody was injured, that’s the good news here.
So So sad!! prayers for the owners and dealers .. Lots of lost antiques is such a loss.
Hi – I’m Craig Baker – and I had the computer store inside the antique center! The Eldest Geek! I had my shop there for over 10 years and I LOVED the place.
I will miss it terribly!
Want all to know we are NOT done. We will be doing lots more house calls (while we find a new location) and anyone who had a computer in for repair will be taken care of!
We fix ANY computer ANY problem. It does not matter! And we sell good used laptops with a 6 month warranty. My used laptop stock is somewhat depleted currently!
Check out my website http://www.theeldestgeek.com
Craig Baker
The Eldest (and temporarily Homeless) Geek
Craig, so sorry about the fire and the loss of your shop. Please keep going as you said. Your work is outstanding and would be greatly missed. The computer you repaired for me a few days ago is working fine. Good luck as you continue in business and hopefully not too far away.
Craig, This is Jen from JMS reDesigns (down the hall, in Ray’s old space). I feel your loss and the loss of your customers. I wish you all the best in reopening elsewhere!
Craig, so glad to hear you are ok and I am so sorry for the loss of the market and your shop. Loved the antique shop even back to the days of Thieves Market.. Best of luck in relocating and my “new” mac is running great. Hope you enjoyed the brie.
I never went in l have passed by it many times over the years
Hello, I’m Brenda from Rust and Refind..I had a few spaces until recently when I downsized to one space there. This has been so shocking and devastating and I feel saddened for the other 29 vendors plus the owners, the Nasafi family. I hope many will recover and find new homes. I lost some wonderful inventory, but I was fortunate in that I was already in another location co-located with European Country Living in a warehouse in Springfield that has monthly events …Rust and Refind is obviously closed at the MVAC location, but is not closed at the warehouse or Etsy. Please follow on social media for updates and future news. Best wishes to my fellow vendors and owners of MVAC.
Was away for Christmas but the fire was reported on the news in Richmond. I loved wondering through all the stalls “treasure hunting”. I now drive by everyday and see the rubble and collapsed walls and feel the loss. So glad nobody was injured.
We no longer live in the area, but I was saddened to hear about this. We bought several pieces of furniture there over the years and sold some jewelry to one of the vendors. It was originally called Thieves Market and was once located a bit further north on Rt. 1 in the Mt. Vernon Plaza at the location of the Home Depot and Staples (that original building was razed for the current businesses).
I was on my way home on Rt. 1 Christmas night, and witnessed the fire and devastation – sorrowful.