PORT TOWNSEND — A bistro that suffered water damage over Thanksgiving week has seen a “huge” response from a call to customers to help keep the business afloat.
The Cellar Door, 940 Water St., owned and operated by Dominic and Stephanie Svornich, sustained a “plumbing issue” that caused some flooding and necessitated closing for one of the busiest weekends of the year.
Dominic said the cost of the repairs was about $5,000, which may or may not be covered by insurance, and $6,000 in lost business, which is not recoverable.
Last Tuesday, he sent an email to about 250 people, attempting to drum up some business to pull the restaurant over the bump in the road.
“We’re asking you to support us through this period just by coming in for dinner and drinks, or just one or the other, or to join us for one of our many options for entertainment,” he wrote.
“If it’s been a while since you’ve been in, now is the time.”
On Saturday, he characterized the response as “huge,” and that many customers who hadn’t been in for a while have come in for a drink or a meal.
“Our business was improving when this happened,” Stephanie said.
“We were at the point where we could invest a little bit, and this pulled the rug out from under us.”
The Cellar Door is in a 1,700-square foot underground room that has hosted a series of restaurants prior to its opening in February 2012.
Dominic said his pattern of success is opposite to many local businesses who have a slow winter and a busy summer.
“We made almost nothing in July because we are down in a basement with no windows. People feel guilty coming down here when it’s nice outside,” he said.
“We decided to start offering a variety of entertainment, and that was working. We were finally able to pay off some of our vendors when this happened.”
“I love how they did this,” Port Townsend Main Street past president Heather Dudley Nollette said of the email.
“They weren’t asking for money, they only reminded people they are here and what they offer.”
Dudley Nollette advocates supporting all local businesses, but feels the Cellar Door has a special quality.
“The Cellar Door is critical to our downtown vision because the owners are young professionals who are committed to what the community needs as a whole rather than their own dreams and goals,” she said.
“This is the kind of business that we want to keep here. It supports the arts and is the kind of place that we can take our kids.”
The Cellar Door has several all-ages events, similar to the Upstage, which closed in June 2014.
“We were looking to sustainably fill a niche after the Upstage closed,” Dominic said.
The Cellar Door is open 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. Thursdays and 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. It is closed Sundays and Mondays.
For more information, visit hwww.cellardoorpt.com or phone 360-385-6959.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.