ATLANTA — LaVista Road is back open for the first time since a massive fire displaced hundreds of people and burned down the Reserve at LaVista Walk apartments in November.
The fire was reportedly started by two residents setting off fireworks.
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The damage then caused LaVista Road to be shut down for five months.
“There were days when we had one access point. That’s difficult for anybody,” Ben Calhoun, co-owner of Big House Guitars, said.
Calhoun’s store has a collection of vintage guitars, amps, and vinyl that sits right alongside LaVista Road.
He says the water used to put out the fire flooded the basement of his store.
“We lost power and had to close down for a week. We had a lot of damage to take care of. It was a challenge for sure,” Calhoun said.
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Calhoun says they were lucky compared to the residents who had to move away from their homes. He says they hosted several fundraisers, but eventually, his store started to feel the effects of the closed roads.
“We’ve had people saying it’s really difficult to get here. They say it’s a cool shop, and we really like the vibe and everything, but it’s really challenging to find you. Because the access points weren’t there. So, it really had an impact on us,” Calhoun said. “I was coming back from lunch and saw the guy dragging the big partisans out of the way. Cars are flying back, and I’m like this is great. This is excellent.”
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