You know how they say that when you leave town everything breaks down? Well that tongue in cheek saying was an unfortunate reality for the shopping center at Mockingbird and Abrams this Labor Day weekend.
A hot water heater on the second level busted sometime Monday afternoon while the shopping center was on holiday, and then promptly proceeded to flood a solid chunk of the surrounding upstairs and downstairs businesses.
While parking, I saw a woman with a toddler in tow no doubt headed to Bake and Play Cafe for some pastries and playtime. Sorry folks, not today! The floodage has forced temporary closure at Savoy Chiropractic, Allstate, Pilates Unlimited on the second floor, as well as Taco Joint and Bake and Play on the first floor.
What, no tacos or cupcakes!? Yep. The only thing you’ll find at Taco Joint and Bake and Play Cafe today are stacked chairs and heavy duty fans.
This is why we can’t have nice things.
The Allstate location at Mockingbird and Abrams
Corey McCauley with Taco Joint says they hope to be up and running by tomorrow morning, but it could be as late as Friday before they open their doors. Bake and Play is in a slightly better position, and co-owner Dee Moore says they might open as early as this afternoon or evening.
The second floor got it the worst. The Savoy and Allstate people were entirely (albeit not-surprisingly) MIA. A peek in their windows showed stacks of files and furniture piled up around the room.
Moore says the chem-dry folks, who came out to mop up the mess, told her they vacuumed up more than 300 gallons of water from the upstairs. Shnikes, that water heater wasn’t playing around.
Ultimate Pilates
Next door, Ultimate Pilates was also in bad shape. Corbin Lawson, the owner of Lakewood Gym at the far right end, which is also the umbrella business over Ultimate Pilates, says they tried to squeegee the water out of the carpet in the Pilates space, but in the end they had to rip it up. Ultimate Pilates will be back in full operation tomorrow, although they’ll be working on concrete rather than carpet.
Lakewood Gym managed to make it out with only a slightly soggy corner.
