December 10, 2024 3:30 a.m. 

In the KQEN Business Spotlight:

Just a few days after a major fire, it appears likely that the Harvard Shoe Repair Store will not reopen, even after the building is repaired.

Joseph Lee had been trying to help his parents, James and Young Lee, following an early morning fire on Monday, December 2nd. Lee had opened a GoFundMe campaign to assist the family in handling expenses that wouldn’t be covered by insurance. However, Lee told News Radio 93-9 FM and 1240 KQEN that his father has now decided he no longer wants to continue the business, having lost the motivation to start over. Lee said he believes his father is still trying to process the situation.

The store, on West Harvard Avenue, has been owned by the family since 1990. Joseph Lee said it’s the last standing shoe repair business in Douglas County. The building also houses two other businesses along with two apartments on the backside of the structure. Fire damage was limited to Harvard Shoe Repair.

Lee said the current plan is to work with insurance on rebuilding the structure. He believes that will be at least a six-month process. After that, his parents are planning to donate the building to their church – the Roseburg Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Joseph Lee said that had always been his parents’ end goal when they retired.

Lee said he is working on refunding GoFundMe donations.

Roseburg Fire Department has not yet released a report, following their investigation into the cause of the fire.