Erbert and Gerbert’s reopens after fire

Cloquet Area Fire District firefighters were sent to fight a fire in the back of Erbert & Gerbert’s, in February earlier this year. The fire left nobody with any reported injuries, however the structure was left with great damage. However, today Tuesday April 11^th, the sandwich shop is back and re-opened.

“I accepted the position a week prior to the fire happening in the warehouse in the back,” said James Hamilton, General Manager of Cloquet Erbert & Gerbert’s

“A lot of our employees transferred to other places and went to work in other stores still because they wanted to continue to work. I went through a pretty rigorous training exercise working in our Superior, and  downtown Duluth locations to kind of get me up to speed since I couldn’t work in my own store,” continued Hamilton.

The building is still damaged in some parts, especially towards the rear of the structure, however, the community support has made this reopening very special.

“People have been calling and giving well-wishes to our staff, asking, where are we open? We’re glad you’re back open… I think our owner is a very creative minded person. And that is why we have such support. And, you know, all the people in this community alone are all about the small business,” continued Hamilton.

“I think our owner is a resilient guy. He wasn’t going to let this cause issues for us. He actually really pushed towards reopening and getting his place back and getting these employees back to work. And that’s a testament to who he is as a person. And for the community,” finished Hamilton.