Fire destroys beloved Thurston County landmark that was more than 100 years old
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- A fire ruined many antiques within a century‑old landmark building.
- The owner faces steep demolition and cleanup costs after canceling building insurance.
- A former customer launched a GoFundMe to support the owner.
Terry Torrence learned a fire broke out at his long-standing antique store over a 6 a.m. phone call on Feb. 23.
“I immediately went over there and saw fire trucks pouring water on the building,” the 73-year-old said. “(Firefighters) told me they didn’t figure it would be standing by the end of the day.”
The store, known as The Second Hand Rose, is largely standing today, but the rafters are burnt, part of the ceiling caved in, and many items, collected over decades, are ruined. A large red notice with the word “unsafe” now adorns the front entrance, warning people away. The cause of the fire remains a mystery, Torrence said, but no one was hurt.
“It’s very sad that the store is gone, and there’s so much history lost there after 45 years of packing that place,” Torrence said.
For decades, locals and passersby have stopped to peruse the store, located at 9243 Yelm Highway SE. Lacey Fire District 3 put out the blaze and posted about it on their Facebook page, prompting an outpouring of comments from the community. Many lamented the loss of the store and recounted memories of their purchases. LFD3 Fire Chief Jennifer Schmidt even weighed in with a Feb. 24 public letter.
“The Second Hand Rose antique store has been a landmark in our area for decades, a place where memories were housed and shared,” Schmidt said. “Like many of you, I have my own fond memories of browsing those aisles with my children, looking for treasures, and enjoying the unique spirit of the shop.”
The Olympian reached out to Torrence to see how he’s doing and what remains of the beloved store.
Torrence called the public response “very kind.” Although the loss of the store is tragic, he said he’s doing fine.
“I’m very lucky,” Torrence said. “My wife loves me, and my house is paid for… . I’m retired, and the store had been closed for a year. I collect my social security, and life is good.”
He hoped to sell the building in his retirement, perhaps to someone who could continue the antique business, he said, but “time ran out.”
Torrence is now faced with spending many thousands of dollars to knock down the condemned building and clean up the property. Unfortunately, he said he did not renew the building insurance after his retirement.
“It’s going to be very expensive to clean up what just happened,” Torrence said. “Insurance was canceled a year ago because of the cost of it while I was closed. So, it is coming out of my pocket.”
About a week ago, a former customer, Adeena Chamberlain, started a GoFundMe to help Torrence.
“My son and I have been regular patrons for the past 20 years and hope the community will join us in supporting Terry and his wife by donating what you are able toward their loss and help cover the demolition expenses,” Chamberlain wrote on the GoFundMe.
On the bright side, Tiger Lily, the store cat, survived the fire. Torrence said he rescued her as a kitten 10 years ago. She disappeared for about three days after the fire.
“I didn’t have any idea if she’d burned up or what happened, but I found her a few days ago and she’s now my house cat.”
Tiger Lily managed to escape the store and later emerged from underneath an old trailer outside the main store building, Torrence said.
“She’s very friendly,” Torrence said. “Everybody at the store loved her. She sat in the most comfortable chair, the best chair in the store. She would roll over and everybody would pet her and love her.”
Torrence said he bought the building about 45 years ago using $5,000 he inherited from his mother. Before being a store, the landmark building was known as the Spurgeon Creek Grange and served as a rural event hall.
“I put an apartment in the back and lived in there because I couldn’t afford rent and starting a business,” Torrence said. “I didn’t know I could create what I created, but 45 years later, it was pretty incredible what I put together.”
Lynn Middleton Torrence, 72, wrote highly of her husband and his business in a letter shared with The Olympian.
“Terry has a passion for old things,” Middleton Torrence said. “He was a guardian of precious antiques and collectibles. His knowledge is impressive. Listening to him you hear his passion and love for his business. The store was a reflection of that love and an artist’s eye.”
Torrence had an art studio in the back of the shop where he created mosaics using broken vintage jewelry and dishes, Middleton Torrence wrote. He repurposed parts of clocks, gears, doll parts, musical instruments and more into sculptural pieces as well, she added.
“I’m a hard worker and I figured out how to buy and sell antiques and repair and refinish antiques,” Torrence said. “I always have this art degree in my head.”
Sadly, the fire destroyed dozens of his art pieces, Torrence said. The fire started in the back half of the building and nothing there can be saved, he said.
Middleton Torrence, a retired school teacher, described the store as a welcoming place with the ambiance of a bygone era. The store offered a variety of merchandise, such as tools, jewelry, toys and yard art.
Customers often bartered for these items and talked to Torrence about their history, she wrote. He even set aside toys and other items to delight kids who visited the store. Over the years, he watched many of them grow up into regulars, she added.
“I had adults come in there that would greet me and talk to me who used to come in when they were kids,” Torrence said. “Forty years is a long time and there’s just a lot of people that remember, ‘My mom brought me here when I was just five years old.’”
The building, now over a century old, housed the antique business for 42 years, Torrence said. He doesn’t know exactly how old the building was, but said he thinks it may have been there for 125 years.
Torrence is now salvaging and selling what he can before the demolition. Many items outside the building survived, and he still has a booth at the Olympia Antique Mall on Pacific Avenue Southeast.
Anyone interested in purchasing items from Torrence can visit the Olympia Antique Mall or call him at 360-970-2083 to inquire about items still on his property.
This story was originally published March 4, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
