MARYSVILLE — A Nov. 22 fire at the 9500 block of State Avenue in Marysville appears to be bringing two of that building’s businesses closer together.

The employees of both the Quilceda Pharmacy and Chirocare have been forced to find temporary accommodations at other locations after the building they shared sustained an estimated loss of approximately $1 million in fire damages.

For the staff of the Quilceda Pharmacy this has meant relocating to the Cumulus Pharmacy in Smokey Point. Cory Duskin owns the Quilceda, Cumulus and Arlington pharmacies, and he has promised his Quilceda Pharmacy customers that they can still obtain their medications and services at the Cumulus and Arlington pharmacies.

“When people call the phone number for the Quilceda Pharmacy, their calls are automatically picked up at the Cumulus Pharmacy,” Duskin said. “We tentatively expect to have the Quilceda Pharmacy building repaired and cleaned up like new within a couple of weeks, after which time we plan to move back in.”

Duskin assured his customers that none of their records were lost, damaged or compromised, and added that they’re accessible at both the Cumulus and Arlington pharmacies. He noted that the Quilceda Pharmacy’s Walk-In Clinic had already been consolidated into the Arlington Pharmacy last February.

“Our customers might have to drive a few extra miles, but we still have all their insurance data and we can still handle their refills,” Duskin said. “We’re still here to take care of them as seamlessly as possible.”

For the staff of Chirocare, picking up the pieces continues to be a more complicated affair. Doron Kantor, owner of Chirocare, is now running his practice out of the offices of Marysville chiropractor Dr. Bob DeFever, located at 1617 Grove St., for which he expressed his deep gratitude. While Kantor’s office and billing managers are still able to maintain his records, and his computer technician was able to salvage all his patient data, not all of his massage therapists will be available during the next few weeks.

“We’ve already put calls out to all of our patients and clients who will be impacted,” said Kantor, who explained that Duskin has already offered Chirocare the use of the Quilceda Pharmacy’s former Walk-In Clinic space. “I’m not sure how long it will take to refurbish my section of the building so that I can move back in there, but fortunately our patients are already familiar with the Quilceda Pharmacy, since it’s just one door down.”

In the meantime, Kantor is left to cope with a loss that he’s still struggling to comprehend.

“I’m trying to grasp the scope of it, but I’ve never dealt with such a life-changing event before, that happened in an instant,” Kantor said. “I just tell myself that every day is another step forward.”

Duskin likewise admitted that the magnitude of the fire losses hasn’t fully sunk in yet, but he remains focused on addressing those issues as they come up.

“I’m probably still in shock and haven’t wrapped my brain around it entirely yet,” Duskin said. “It’s like the old saying about eating an elephant, where you have to do it one bite at a time. I’m just checking off everything that’s on my list of things that I have to do right now. Our recovery is secondary to minimizing the inconvenience to our customers. Don’t think that this fire has shut us down. We’re just moving forward, is all.”