> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Fire guts local antique business on Lincoln Blvd - URL: https://www.smdp.com/fire-guts-local-antique-business-on-lincoln-blvd/ - Published: 2003-02-14T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T01:34:23.000Z - Author: Carolyn Sackariason - Tags: Business, Main St, #archive-import *Flames seen as far away as Main Street* A fire destroyed a local antique store on Thursday and caused more than $1 million in damages. Simply Sofas and Lona Antiques and Furniture — both of which house custom furniture and collectibles — went up in flames just before 2 a.m. The store, which is located on the 2300 block of Lincoln Boulevard, was completely gutted and all of its contents — most of which are one-of-a-kind collectibles from throughout the world — have been reduced to ash. The Santa Monica Fire Department responded to the multiple-alarm fire after receiving a call at 1:43 a.m. from a local police officer who was driving in the area and noticed the flames shooting out of the building. Fire crews reported seeing smoke from as far away as Main Street, and flames were visible from the front and south sides of the building. No one was injured. Nina Fresco, a neighbor who lives across the street from the store, said she woke up to police banging on her door telling her to get out of the house in case the fire spread to nearby buildings. But Fresco and her husband, Rob, decided to stay in the house so their children, a 4-year-old and a 10-month-old, wouldn’t wake up. “It was probably the scariest thing I’ve ever seen,” she said, adding she was afraid her son would be scared if he witnessed the blaze. “I was afraid that he would have nightmares for the rest of his life.” Fresco, who watched the blaze for about an hour and half from her front porch, said the flames were as much as three stories high. Fire crews were able to extinguish the blaze within 30 minutes, despite the heavy smoke and high heat. Multiple water lines were pulled to fight the fire. However, a fire crew was forced to retreat from the building’s roof after the windows facing Lincoln Boulevard blew out. Robert Evans, who lives directly next to the building, said his father, who is on oxygen, and his sister had to vacate their home because it was too close to the flames. The house suffered smoke damage. He said the dumpster across the street in the alley has been set on fire four times in the past year and wondered if Thursday’s fire was related. The cause of the fire is under investigation. An employee of the family-owned business, who didn’t want to be named, said everyone who works there is in shock. One of the owners, Marilyn Nelson, as well as others, were at the scene early Thursday surveying the damage and unsuccessfully trying to hold back the tears. Fresco said she brought breakfast to Nelson who was standing in the street staring at her store at 7:30 a.m. “It was a great business,” Fresco said, adding the building was a plant to manufacture rivets for Douglas Aircraft. “Everyone loved it.” The store’s inventory included thousands of pieces of antiques and collectibles that were as much as 150 years old from places like China and Thailand. 5BB,“They put their heart and soul into this place,” the employee said. “No one had stuff like they had. She created something special here. “She had a unique taste and a great eye,” she added. “They built their own empire here.” But now all that’s left of the 10-year-old business is charred remains and a few items that were stored in a space across the street. The owners may use that space they recently leased to open a small operation while trying to figure out their next move, the employee said. Fire investigators and local police detectives were surveying the inside of the building most of Thursday looking for clues as to what could have ignited the blaze. Meanwhile, professional crews had begun the arduous task of cleaning up the mess. Several insurance adjusters had made it to the scene by 11 a.m. hoping to sign up the building owners or business owners to settle their claims. And one customer who had specifically set aside time Thursday morning to cash in her gift certificate was shocked to see the store reduced to ashes when she got there. “Today is the day I was going to buy a couch,” said Deborah Papparau. All on-duty firefighters in Santa Monica responded to the fire, which amounted to 30 fire personnel on the scene. Crews from the Los Angeles City Fire Department and American Medical Response provided fire and paramedic coverage for the rest of the city during the fire. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/021403-02_01.jpg) (Above) A family member of the business owners surveys the damage a fire caused inside of Simply Sofas on Lincoln Boulevard. (Photo: Carolyn Sackariason/Daily Press) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/021403-02_02.jpg) (Above) A family member of the business owners surveys the damage a fire caused inside of Simply Sofas on Lincoln Boulevard. (Photo: Carolyn Sackariason/Daily Press) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/021403-02_04.jpg) (Photo: Carolyn Sackariason/Daily Press) *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 14, 2003.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/021403.pdf?ref=smdp.com)