[August 26, 2011] Fire destroys Cottonwood business Tweet Aug 26, 2011 (Dothan Eagle - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Jim Smith remembers renting a movie from the Bearland Video store, and on occasion buying gifts for friends and family at the Cottonwood business. He and others in Cottonwood won't have that opportunity now. Lomax Smith, the Cottonwood mayor, said a fire started at the business Thursday just after 8 p.m. He said the fire destroyed the store, located in the heart of Cottonwood, on Alabama Highway 53. Smith said fire fighters from Cottonwood, Lovetown and Dothan fire departments worked for several hours to contain the fire. He said fire fighters likely managed to save the neighboring business, Puggie's Diner, which shared the same building as Bearland Video. But Smith said officials will have to call in a structural engineer to check the restaurant's building. Smith said the cause of the fire remains unknown, but state fire marshals were called in to investigate. Jim Smith said the store didn't just have videos available for rent, but served as a gift shop too with flowers and balloons for sale among its merchandise. "I've shopped there quite a bit," Jim Smith said. "The thing that amazed me was there were a lot of collectable items there, something you wouldn't expect to find in a video store." Jim Smith remembered how the store offered everything from collectable lighthouses to figurines. "He'd ship stuff to the UK and to Nigeria, and was concerned about sending some of the gifts over seas," Jim Smith said. "It's going to be missed. I certainly hope they'll rebuild it." Bobby Monk, the former mayor of Cottonwood, recalled opening the video store in 1987, and naming it after his alma mater, the Cottonwood High Bears where he played left guard for the football team. He also remembered opening the store up on Thursday around noon and closing it up about 8 p.m. He said the fire has left him unsure of what his family will do next. "I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm 79 now, and you just don't have the get up and go you used to," Monk said. "We were the only mom and pop video store left in our area. All the rest around are chains." ___ (c)2011 the Dothan Eagle (Dothan, Ala.) Visit the Dothan Eagle (Dothan, Ala.) at www.dothaneagle.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]