Hobby shop damaged by Belle View Shopping Center fire to reopen

November 29, 2019 Business and Development
A piece of paper taped to a window reading "Eagle and Empire Closed Due to fire damage Check back later or on Facebook"
A sign seen earlier this month on the front of Eagle and Empire. The shop, damaged in an October 21 fire, is expected to reopen November 30.

Eagle and Empire Game Shop is expected to reopen Saturday morning after being closed for more than a month to fix damage related to the October 21 fire at the Belle View Shopping Center.

The hobby shop made the announcement on Facebook, where they’ve kept customers updated about store’s recovery since the fire.

“After being closed for 38 days it will be great to see everyone again!” the store said on their page. “And we will have a vast amount of new releases in hobby’s and comics!”

Eagle and Empire was one of more than two dozen businesses that were damaged in one way or the other by the October 21 fire at the shopping center. The six alarm blaze, which began around midnight, caused more than $5.8 million in damage, according to the Fairfax Fire and Rescue Department.

While the hobby shop was not directly hit by the fire, it did suffer water and smoke damage, according to the owners. A significant amount of merchandise was also lost.

At least six businesses in the Belle View Shopping Center remain closed — Belleview Cleaners, Yido Ramen & Sushi, GolfTEC, Roy Rogers, Wine & Design and Spokes Etc. The cleaners and Yido Ramen were hardest hit by the fire, and it’s unclear when or if they will reopen. The other businesses have said through social media that they are closed indefinitely but expect to reopen.

Bread & Water Company, Dishes of India, Dunkin’ Donuts all reopened earlier this month, and businesses like Subway, the Alexandria Music Company and Hair Cuttery opened not long after the fire.

Fairfax Fire and Rescue has not said what caused the fire, or publicly named the business where the fire originated. However they did say it began in a kitchen area, and a sign left on the door of the Belleview Cleaners indicated the fire began next door at Yido Ramen & Sushi.