After a downtown fire broke out, the Osceola community rallied around business owners

(Fox 9) – For the past nine years, Red Bird Music Store has been a staple in downtown Oslo, Wisconsin.

But now, the rest of the room is just the facade.

“I meant to downsize. And my friend said, ‘What a wonderful way to downsize.’

A fire broke out in the store’s kitchen area Wednesday night and quickly spread to the rest of the building.

Brace said no one was hurt, but the building was a total loss and the nearby Natural Heritage Arts Center suffered heavy smoke and water damage, forcing it to close indefinitely after opening its doors three months ago.

“Heartbroken. So I didn’t think about that until now. Sorry. Just kind of flat.” said Jessica Ely, owner of the art center.

Since the fire, there has been a lot of support from the community.

A fellow downtown store owner created a Facebook group to help both business owners rebuild.

“I feel like we’re a very close-knit town and when something bad happens to us, we all come together. We don’t want them to leave this town. Right? We need them and they need us,” he said. Antique store owner Gwen Wright.

Brace said the store’s cat, Bevis, died in the fire.

But he hopes to bring the music store back with the help of the community.

“I know everybody wants me back and I know I want to come back and I think it’s going to be here but it might be a little while,” Brees said.