Sandwich shop to reopen years after arson fire in downtown Visalia

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- A popular sandwich spot that burned down during an arson fire is now close to reopening in Visalia.

The fire started in a dumpster before it spread to three businesses, including the Jimmy John's on Main Street in May of 2022.

"It was terrible, the whole building was in complete disarray. Everything had ash. Almost unrecognizable inside," recalled Jessica Goad, director of operations for Jimmy John's.

The sandwich shop was destroyed, along with Decor to Adore, and the popular locally owned Mexican restaurant, Alejandra's.

56-year-old Jessie Hager was arrested for starting the fire and was sentenced for the arson months later.

Now, with the court process and cleanup over, Jimmy John's is gearing up for another grand opening.

"We are excited to see all our previous and regular customers coming in. We have had a lot of people asking us when we are opening because it was a pretty big part of people's lives at that time," said Goad.

The sandwich shop is nestled in the heart of a busy downtown and had between 100 to two 200 transactions daily.

The loss was felt across the community and caused close to a hundred thousand dollars in damage, not including wages and profits that were lost.

"It was a struggle. It took almost two years to get back up and running but we are very excited and ready to serve and to be able to bring back any work we can do for the community," Goad explained.

Now, the location is looking for about 10 new employees before its July 8th opening.

Jimmy John's also hopes to team up with local non-profits and schools to help with fundraising and team sponsorships, where 10 to 15% of their sales go directly to participating organizations.

The group 'Downtown Visalians' shares that Alejandra's Mexican Restaurant hopes to be open soon, possibly in a few weeks.

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