Can Altadena businesses rise from the ashes?

Listen to Marketplace each weekday at 3:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. on 89.3 FM. This story originally aired on “Marketplace” on April 15.

On a sunny morning in mid-March, Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal looked out at a fenced lot piled with blackened rubble and debris. “It's been, like, a month since I've been up here,” he said. “You forget. It’s unbelievable.”

In front of him were the burnt remains of a building in Altadena's business district, which was destroyed in the Eaton Fire in January.

When you look at a map of the Eaton fire burn zone, you see that almost all of Altadena, a few miles north of downtown Los Angeles, falls within it. Parts of Pasadena and Sierra Madre burned too. Eighteen people died in the blaze, and 9,414 structures, including homes, commercial properties and detached garages, were destroyed.

Early estimates from the UCLA have found that total property and capital losses from the Eaton Fire range between $24 billion and $42 billion.

Throughout this series, we'll explore the challenges facing Altadena businesses as they start to rebuild, and in the process, help the entire community recover from an epic natural disaster. The rebuilding is certain to be long and difficult, but we'll check in with these businesses along the way and report on their efforts.

Mariposa Junction

Joey Galloway owns two buildings in the heart of Altadena’s business district. One building completely burned down in the fire, the other did not. He calls this block Mariposa Junction, and between the two buildings, he has 13 business tenants.

Ryssdal views the debris from Joey Galloway's burned-down property.

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Andie Corban

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Marketplace

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“My father bought this building 42 years ago,” Galloway said. “An African American family owned it. He knew the owner. So my dad bought it. It was just kind of one of those things.”

Galloway said he’s going to rebuild his property on Mariposa Street that burned down, but it will be a difficult task. “I've never had to deal with anything that was a total loss like this,” said Galloway. “So it's kind of a learning curve for me.”

Next to his total loss, Galloway’s second property is in completely different shape. Despite its proximity to the building that burned down, this structure survived and suffered very little fire-related damage. That said, not a single one of the six businesses inside have reopened.

“They could technically open if they wanted to, but they kind of had the same mindset I did with all this debris around here,” said Galloway. He thinks many of his tenants will want to come back, though.

Galloway expects it to take at least three years to rebuild the property that burned down.

Altadena Hardware

Ryssdal spoke with the owner of Altadena Hardware, Jimmy Orlandini. Altadena Hardware is an independently owned and operated store, but it is associated with the national brand TrueValue. The store is Galloway’s largest tenant and the anchor business at Mariposa Junction.

Ryssdal speaks with Jimmy Orlandini, whose shop, Altadena Hardware, was destroyed. He's looking for a temporary lease for his business.

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Andie Corban

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Marketplace

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“I'm technically a third-generation hardware store owner,” said Orlandini. “My grandfather bought a store in East L.A. in the ‘60s that my dad still has and he runs. We bought this store in 2010.”

Like Galloway, Orlandini is part of a multigenerational family business. He grew up in Altadena and still lives here. Luckily, his home survived the fire. However, his business did not.

Orlandini plans to come back to Galloway’s property once it's rebuilt, but in the meantime, he’s looking for a temporary lease in Altadena.

“I had one realtor that works with hardware stores, and he's like, ‘I tried. Good luck. I don't think it's going to happen for you,’” Orlandini said about his search for a temporary space. “Anything that's left, they're going to charge you an arm and a leg, and they're not going to want a temporary tenant.”

Orlandini told Marketplace that most of the quotes he’s received are more than double the rent he paid Galloway before the fire. It’s a premium he can’t afford.