BLOOMSBURG, Pa. — A couple from Bloomsburg were ten days from opening their restaurant when the property was heavily damaged by fire. Now they are trying to figure out their next steps.
Colleen and Eric Tarantino were excited to open their new restaurant—Oh Cheez Peeb—on Main Street in Bloomsburg. It was their lifelong dream.
"It was going to be more like living room seating where you could hang out, play a board game if you want, have a meeting, study group," Colleen Tarantino said.
The restaurant was supposed to open on April 7. On Tuesday, the restaurant passed its final inspections.
"We went home on Tuesday, and we were on top of the world. We were done. We were ten days away from opening the door," Eric Tarantino said.
A few hours later, everything changed. The couple got a call early Wednesday morning that the building was on fire.
According to the Bloomsburg Fire Department, the fire was caused by discarded rags used to stain wood. All the restaurant's equipment was destroyed.
"Everything, our life savings, we over-extended ourselves in credit, and we were days away from finally seeing the reward," Colleen said.
The restaurant's insurance policy did not start until April 1.
"To be honest, I'm still kind of in shock. I just can't believe that this happened. It's a devastating loss," Eric said.
The couple still hope to open their restaurant eventually.
"As long as we could procure the funds to replace the equipment and the furniture, we plan to keep this going," Colleen said. "It's something the community wanted. It's something we had always dreamed of."
A GoFundMe account has been set up where you can help.
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