Durham's Parker and Otis to reopen Thursday morning

Durham’s Parker and Otis plans to debut its post-fire renovation at 7:30 a.m. Thursday morning after being closed for more than a month.

At about 7:45 p.m. on Dec. 26, owner Jennings Brody and her husband and business partner Jonathan Kea learned about a fire at the business at 112 S. Duke Street from an alarm company representative, Brody said.

The fire, caused by a faulty overhead light fixture, damaged an isolated area in the store, which was covered in black ash and water from the automatic sprinklers. The store was closed for the Christmas holidays.

All of the inventory had to be discarded and some of the floors and other areas had
to be replaced. Brody used the opportunity to make some needed changes to store’s layout, she said.
Meanwhile, Parker and Otis employees have been working out of Brody and Kea’s
house, updating the employee manual, trying out new recipes and making signs.

Parker and Otis sells a variety of candy, gourmet foods and gifts, along with serving coffee, breakfast and lunch. It opened in the Peabody Place complex near Brightleaf Square in the summer of 2007.

Brody asked customers to be patient Thursday as employees may be working through some quirks throughout the day.

“We are going to have to get used to our new skin,” Brody said. “Patience is a virtue tomorrow.”