Downtown Santa Rosa business to reopen after storefront collapse

California Luggage Co., a mainstay storefront in downtown Santa Rosa, was set to reopen Tuesday after the building’s brick facade collapsed over the weekend, leaving a pile of rubble on the sidewalk but passersby unscathed.

Store owner Bernie Schwartz said a city building inspector and an electrician walked through the Fourth Street property on Monday and determined the store was safe to operate.

What caused the collapse is unknown.

City officials were not able to say whether water damage or other structural issues led the building’s blue awning and facade to buckle. It also wasn’t clear if something happened before the collapse that may have contributed to the facade failing, Schwartz said.

The Santa Rosa Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire and partial building collapse just before noon on Sunday.

The call prompted a full response from the department, which deployed three engines, a ladder truck and a heavy rescue apparatus, said Division Chief Fire Marshal Paul Lowenthal.

Crews on scene determined reported smoke was dust from the collapse and that there wasn’t an active fire. Firefighters searched the rubble for anyone trapped underneath but no one was hurt, Lowenthal said.

“Given the time of day, we’re fortunate that the business was not open and I’m glad to see no one was hurt,” he said. “It could’ve obviously been a lot worse.”

A surveillance camera from the neighboring jewelry store captured footage of the collapse.

California Luggage Co. opened downtown in 1980 and moved into its current location in 1988.

The building it occupies was built in 1921, according to online building records, but details about the structure’s physical status are scarce.

The city doesn’t conduct regular inspections of commercial or other buildings unless there is a code violation or construction work at the site, city spokesperson Kevin King said.

Online records show a building permit was issued in 2015 for roof work and King said a permit was issued in the late 1990s for work in a bathroom.

No recent permits were issued for work on the facade, he said.

Schwartz said the brick facade and awning were installed after he moved into the building. In the more than 30 years since, the awning has been replaced twice, most recently about five or six years ago when heavy winds ripped through the fabric, he said.

Santa Rosa officials are not investigating what caused the collapse because no one was injured, King said.

It’s too early to say whether the collapse will prompt city officials to look at other brick facades or awnings, he said.

Following the collapse, store manager Nicole Gaddis worked to get the debris cleared off the sidewalk, remove the overturned awning and board up a shattered window.

Gaddis was in the store on Monday prepping online orders to be shipped and getting the store ready to reopen.

The damage left part of the building without power and knocked out the internet and phone line but the electrician determined there was an issue with the breaker.

“As bad as it looked out there, what I’m hopeful of is that it’s just superficial,” Gaddis said of the damage.

Schwartz and Gaddis plan to work with the longtime building owners to repair the building, which Schwartz estimated could take a few months.

“We’ve been kind of busy lately with people eager to get out after the last couple of years,” Schwartz said. “However long it takes to get the outside of the building done, we’re going to continue operating.”

Press Democrat staff writers Mya Constantino and Matt Pera contributed to this story.

You can reach Staff Writer Paulina Pineda at 707-521-5268 or paulina.pineda@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @paulinapineda22.