‘It’s been devastating.’ Columbia farm supply owner serves customers from parking lot months after fire destroys store

While fire officials say they are looking into suspicious circumstances, the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

• Fire burnt through Columbia Farm Supply store in May. They have not started rebuilding, leaving the community looking for answers.

• The community relied on the store for 25 years. The owner is now serving customers in the parking lot of his store on Bear Creek Pike.

• The investigation is still open until fire investigators determine a cause.

• Owner says he has not received claim information from the insurance company or reimbursements to start to rebuild.

  COLUMBIA, Tenn. (WSMV) - The owner of Columbia Farm Supply is continuing to serve customers nearly five months after a fire destroyed the store on Bear Creek Pike.

  “We are every day trying to figure out how to keep going,” said Craig Teal, owner of Columbia Farm Supply.

  Teal started the store more than 25 years ago because he saw a need in the community.“It’s been devastating for a lot of people, myself, my family, a lot of people,” Teal said.

Fire burned through the store after midnight on May 29, just weeks before its 25th anniversary celebration. Teal said the building went up so fast that by the time help arrived, it was too late to save.

Nearly five months later, no progress has been made. Teal said what has made it more difficult is silence from the insurance company and a claims process that he says seems to have stalled.

“We’re trying to figure out how to move forward and try to help the community with what we can, because they’ve been very good to us,” Teal said. “That’s part of the reason we started it. That’s part of the reason we’re still here. It’s part of the reason we sit on the side of the highway.”

Several times a month, Teal keeps the business running by taking orders on Facebook. He meets customers personally in the parking lot of his store, outside the fenced area, to deliver their feed.

A GoFundMe page has been started to help with rebuilding efforts. Teal said that without answers, there isn’t much he can do except keep showing up for customers who have shown up for him for more than two decades.

“Til the candle burns out, that’s all I’ve got,” Teal said.

Fire investigators from Columbia say they are looking into suspicious activity. The investigation remains open, and no official determination has been made.