COUPEVILLE, Wash — One of the oldest buildings on Whidbey Island is severely damaged after a semi-truck crashed into it Sunday while driving along State Route 20.
“I’m trying to hold back the tears, it’s hard,” said Marjory Homon. It’s been a difficult 24 hours for this tight-knit community.
“I guess at my age, all these little treasures we want to keep them,” said Homon.
Penn Cove Pottery, a mom-and-pop shop that’s been around for nearly 20 years, is in a building that's been along this portion of SR 20 since the 1940s.
“It’s just kind of a special place, if you need that extraordinary gift for a friend or a family member you come here,” said Homon.
However, this special place might have sold its last gift. On Sunday, just before 9 a.m., a semi-truck driving northbound rolled onto its side while trying to make the curve, crashing into the historic building and igniting a fire.
“That would be my worry it’s irreparable, we need to replace it with something else or get rid of it completely and that would be a shame,” Bob Zwingli said.
This isn’t the first time there’s been a wreck near this building. The owner of Penn Cove Pottery told KING 5 that in April a truck crashed into the wooden building right next door.
“This is a 50-mile-per-hour zone and when you come into it, you should be slowing down,” said Homon.
Luckily, no one was in the building at the time of Sunday's crash and the driver only had minor injuries.
“It’ll come back, we’ll get some fundraisers going, we’ll get it back,” said Homon.
The owner of the business said he appreciates the community’s support. He told KING 5 it’s too early to decide what their plans are moving forward.