Two Rivers Junction owner vows to rebuild

Canoe business remains open

By FRITZ MAYER

LACKAWAXEN, PA — Just four days after a late-night fire burned his stores and businesses to the ground, Dimitri Zaimes was open for business in the shed next to the remains of his small mall. Asked if he would rebuild, he said, “Absolutely. The Marines didn’t teach me how to quit.”

His buildings went up in flames on June 3, destroying almost everything inside, including two tractor-trailer loads of new merchandise that included such things as fishing tackle and gifts. Zaimes said much of the merchandise was still packed in boxes, lining the aisles of the store.

His pets, however, were saved. David Schimmel, a friend passing by, entered the burning building and pulled Zaimes’ Labrador Retriever and two cats to safety.

The fire interrupted what was shaping up as a very busy season. “We had traffic jams every weekend,” Zaimes said. His business will remain open as he rebuilds. He will rent canoes and sell milk, soda, coffee, donuts and newspapers.

Zaimes is awaiting word from his insurance company to find out how much of his loss will be covered. He hopes to have the building reconstructed this year, perhaps in time for deer season.

The Pennsylvania State Police have declared the cause of the blaze as “unknown,” but the fire marshal last week gave him permission to start clearing away the debris.

For the past three days, “people have been coming across this lot offering food, work, paint money, a place to stay.”

Before the fire, Zaimes said he had been considering putting the place up for sale in the next four or five years, but the outpouring of support from the community since the fire has brought him to the conclusion that he could never leave Lackawaxen.