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Falconer Business Owners Not Deterred By Recent Blazes

Sylvia and Dan Magara, co-owners of the Blue Fin Pet Shop at 17 Main St. in Falconer, are retaining a sense of humor and gratitude in the aftermath of Sunday's fire in the village of Falconer, which they refer to as "Round Two." The pet shop has survived two fires in very close proximity to its storefront in the past 10 months. P-J photo by Gavin Paterniti

FALCONER — Dan and Sylvia Magara, co-owners of the Blue Fin Pet Shop, are remaining positive despite two close calls in the past 10 months that could easily have ended their 35-year business run.

Prior to Sunday’s fire in the village of Falconer, the Magaras also avoided tragedy on March 22 of last year, when several adjacent buildings caught fire on West Main Street.

Eight other buildings and businesses were damaged or destroyed, leaving a good portion of the spaces unsalvageable and later demolished.

The cause of that fire was determined to be arson and the man suspected of setting the blaze is currently incarcerated in Butler County Jail in Butler County, Pa.

Now, the Magaras — who celebrated the 35th anniversary of the Blue Fin Pet Shop last summer — are once again grateful that their business, which is temporarily closed due to smoke damage and ensuing repairs, has survived what they’re calling “Round Two.”

The aftermath of Sunday’s fire on West Main Street in the village of Falconer. The owners of the Blue Fin Pet Shop said they hope to reopen their store by the beginning of next month. P-J photo by Gavin Paterniti

“We are not going out of business, we will be re-opening soon and are aiming to do that on Feb. 1,” said Dan Magara. “We had some smoke damage and, unfortunately, lost some of our fish in the incident. People have been reaching out to us on Facebook to offer their help and to ask about Rocky, our pet African grey parrot. We want to let everyone know that we got Rocky out in time and he is doing fine, and to thank everyone for their support.”

“We want to thank all the firemen and everybody who helped us to get all of our stuff out,” Sylvia Magara said. “Everybody has been super, and the outpouring of support has been overwhelming.”

Dan Magara said the business also buys silver and gold from its customers, and is planning on opening on setting aside Sunday after its reopening to hold a special buying day. He said customers can make appointments to arrive on that day, the date of which is to be determined, and receive an extra 10 percent on the purchase price of their gold and silver.

For more information on the pet shop, call 665-3522, find the store on Facebook or stop in at 17 W. Main St. in Falconer.

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