OPEN FOR BUSINESS!

Brenda Campbell and Katie Ivy preparing Christmas ornaments at the Birdwatcher. Photos by Jim Evans

Down But Not Out — Local Merchants Welcome Back Customers

by Jim Evans

"The birds may be gone," said Brenda Campbell of The Birdwatcher in Julian, "but they’ll be back."

Such is the positive attitude of the Julian merchants about their customers too. In fact, most of the downtown merchants reopened within a few short days after the Cedar Fire had ravaged their community.

Lori Wurzbach (left) and Susan McCloskey (right) show their support for the Julian Cider Mill and Manager Janet Stevens (center).

Campbell and her sister, Katie Ivy, were busy preparing Christmas tree ornament bird feeders one day after electricity was restored and while firefighters were still putting out hot spots and smoldering embers along Highway 78.

"The birds will be back if they have a source of water and seed," Campbell said, "and our customers will be back when they realize that we are open for business again."

That same message is being repeated by merchants and residents throughout the community. The Birdwatcher, like most of the other businesses in town, is open regular business hours.

"It’s business as usual as far as we are concerned. There is plenty to keep us busy restocking and setting up
displays for
the holidays," Campbell said.

Is there any doubt that Julian Hardware means “business!?!”

Susan McCloskey and Lori Wurzbach drove from Pasadena to show their
support as they sipped hot cider at The Julian Cider Mill and chatted with store manager, Janet Stevens. The two work for Universal Studios.

"We love this little town," McCloskey said. "We come here often to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city and return to something more traditional."

Stevens, who has managed the store for almost five years, moved to Julian 14 years ago.

"My mother has lived here for 22 years, and I was always driving in from San Diego to visit her, so it just made sense to move here. I just love it," she said.

Left to right: OB Holman, Scott Laughlin, Magda Beckman, Betty Birdsell (aka Bad Betty) – Volunteers at the Julian Town Hall.

Mike Byrd of Jack’s Grocery & Deli was busy serving local residents shopping for groceries.

"We lost a lot of perishables," he said, "but I have 320 cases of foodstuff arriving tomorrow, and we expect to be fully stocked again within 48 hours."

His customers seemed genuinely pleased — and reassured — to see that he was open. Byrd, who is also one of the owners of the Subway restaurant down the street, said it will reopen soon.

The Julian Town Hall has been bustling with activity since the fire was contained. Dozens of churches, charitable organizations and businesses have donated food, clothing, toys and houseware items for those who lost their homes and personal possessions during the fire, and the hall is filled with the proceeds of their generosity. Betty Bird-sell of Bad Betty’s across the street, has been helping to supervise the distribution efforts together with countless volunteers from the Julian Chamber and other community groups.

Open for business with a big THANKS to the firefighters.

"We have been serving hundreds of people," Birdsell said, "and the outpouring of help has been just tremendous. It’s so wonderful to see even the young people volunteering their time to help those less fortunate. It says a lot for our community."

Some of the many volunteers that have donated their time at the Julian Town Hall include Bobby and Krisie Morgan, OB Holeman, Scott Laughlin, Magda Beckman, Kathy Kendall-Sanchez, Barbee Skinner, Bridget Gutierrez, Sada Abarca,"This whole
experience has brought everyone even closer," Birdsell said.

Handmade signs are posted in the windows and doors of other businesses along Main Street shouting "OPEN" together with "THANKS
CDF" in appreciation for the hundreds of firefighters who fought so bravely to save their town. The message is clear — Julian is back!