There was a big fire in Green Ridge Saturday afternoon. Flames destroyed a building on East Market Street. Two businesses gone. Nine people lost their homes, in the apartments above.
I've always had a soft spot for Green Ridge, and it's come a long way in recent years. There are businesses here. My dentist is here. I remember mom and dad taking me to a variety store on Boulevard Avenue for various and sundry things, including comic books, as a kid. When my kid days were over, and I was working elsewhere, co-workers and I were regulars at happy hour in a Sanderson Avenue watering hole. I used to get hair cuts at a place on Sanderson Avenue and another one on East Market. There were pizzas and sandwiches from restaurants and take out joints in the neighborhood. Sports related gear and Christmas gifts came from a clothing store on one of the corners.
There's now a hole on East Market Street. The fire damaged building could not be saved. I'm sure the neighborhood can survive the loss, and it's possible something new and interesting will be built in the space. Still, it wasn't easy to watch a decent neighborhood take a hit.
