Scott Giles put one of Reeses Barkery and Pawtique’s wall coolers up for sale via an online post this week.

He’s hoping a hunter – perhaps someone who likes to smoke their venison – would be interested in buying the that -year-old unit. Even after a professional cleaning, the refrigerator reeks of smoke following the Jan. 18 fire at 1309-1313 Riverside Drive in McHenry. Even opening the unit’s door to allow the curious a whiff leaves the smell of smoke in the air around it.

It is one of the casualties of the fire that severely damaged and forced them out of the building that housed Reeses and The Riverside Bake Shop.

Other products – collars and leashes, dog toys and sealed bags and boxes of pet food – were written off as a loss by their insurance company, Giles said. After some discussion with adjusters, products that were either washable or otherwise salvageable – but unsellable – were donated to pet rescues.

“Insurance wanted to dump it all – I had to stop them. Some good has to come out of this. A lot of dogs are being fed,” he said, adding that his own dogs are also getting the unsellable but otherwise OK feed.

The products went to All Herding Breeds Dog Rescue and McHenry-based K9s4U Dog Rescue. Rescues that those two groups work with in other states likely will receive some of the dog accessories and food, Giles said.

The shelves at Reeses’ new – and likely temporary – location around the corner at 3314 Pearl St. look full again.

Just days after the fire, building owner Victor Wierzba of KM Construction Inc., offered to get the Barkery settled in the new space. Vendors and wholesalers also helped, Manager Matthew Taylor said.

“We had endless support and help” from their suppliers, Taylor said. “Every single one of them called me ... offering to help us get back up on our feet.”

It’s a smaller location that what they had, by 300 square feet, Taylor said.

That means no more room for back stock, Giles said. Instead, the back stock is now being stored at 1323 Riverside Drive. Giles purchased that building last year, and it’s in the middle of renovations, readying it to open as AteaCo Coffee & Tea. He hopes to see that shop opening later this month.

Before the fire happened, the Giles family – Scott, wife Diedra and their children Carolyn and Zachary – were in the process of opening a second location, at 105 W. Route 14 in Barrington. They opened there on Jan. 31 to meet customer demand.

When they will be able to get back into their former Riverside Drive location is unknown, Giles said.

“We are at the mercy of the insurance companies and contractors,” he said.

He’s also spoken with Riverside Bake Shop and building owners Carol and Bernie Rice. It’s his understanding that they plan to reopen after repairs are made, Giles said. The Rice family has not spoken to the media about what their plans are, nor have they spoken with city officials, Mayor Wayne Jett said.

Giles expects work at the fire-damaged structure to begin shortly, but he’s been told it may be a year before the business can get back into the building. He also assumes they will need to meet ADA requirements during reconstruction, but added he has not had that conversation with the Rices, either.

In the meantime, he’s been opening up the Pearl Street location’s street-facing garage door on nice days. Neighbors walking past with their dogs have found themselves pulled in by the pups, too, Giles said.

Sales are down about 25% from this time last year, and they don’t have all their regular stock back yet. But they have not laid off any of their staff, what he calls their “Retail Rock Stars.”

“We told them right away. There would be no layoffs,” Giles said.