A Paget business owner has been overwhelmed by support from the community after his shop was engulfed in flames last year.

Gerald Sims lost between $40,000 and $60,000 worth of merchandise from his store, Hose’s Fashions & Accessories, during a fire that swept through the building on Rural Hill Plaza on December 3.

Mr Sims thanked customers for their support as he works to reopen the business near the Paget traffic lights in the coming weeks.

He said: “There’s not a day that goes by that people don’t say something to me.

“I’ve received some financial support as well — when I reopen, I will take everybody’s name who helped me, put it on Facebook and do a big thank-you.”

Mr Sims, who owned the store for 28 years, said a candle sparked the fire, which 12 firefighters extinguished relatively quickly.

Mr Sims said this week: “When it goes down to the wick, it goes out. It must have cracked or something.

“I gave all my candles away.”

He said the back of the store sustained the most damage in the fire.

Repairs to the building, which include placing additional outlets inside as per planning guidelines, have cost between $10,000 and $15,000.

Mr Sims reflected: “We were only able to save two keychains. Everything else was dumped.

“I had three dumpsters and two truckloads collect everything.”

He added: “A lot of people have helped me out; [the incident] took a toll on me at first, but I’m getting over it now and making some headway.”