Ellis Brothers: Ten Years After Devastating Binghamton Fire

A family-operated business is thriving in downtown Binghamton a decade after a fast-moving blaze destroyed a landmark store on Water Street.

Fire erupted in the Ellis Brothers Furniture store on Water Street on the morning of April 30, 2014.

Firefighters battled the intense blaze in extremely windy conditions for hours. They managed to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby buildings.

For a time, there seemed to be a possibility the four-story building could be salvaged. But those hopes were dashed a few weeks later when engineers determined the structure was in danger of collapsing. That prompted city officials to order an emergency demolition of the building.

Ellis Brothers opened its contemporary furniture store at a temporary site in a former bank building at the MetroCenter complex on Court Street six months after the fire.

The family ultimately acquired the former J.C. Penney building at Court and Hawley streets. Another store on Washington Street was closed and retail operations were consolidated at the new site.

Co-owner Richard Ellis on Tuesday acknowledged there were plenty of challenges in the ten years since the devastating Water Street fire.

Ellis said things have gone "exceptionally well" for the business since the blaze. He said "the community has been fantastic in its support."

Ellis said "we turned lemons into lemonade." He said he and his siblings - Tom, Charles, Barb and Joan - all worked together to pull it off. He said "without them, this could not have happened!"

VIDEO: A visit to the current Ellis Brothers store at 26 Court Street on April 30, 2024.

Enter your number to get our free mobile app

Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.