Following the fire which destroyed Dino’s Takeaway in Swanage, Dorset, the clothes shop next door is finally ready to reopen after its whole stock worth £30,000 was destroyed by smoke from the blaze.
Coast and Country, which sells casual clothing ideal for holidaying or living in a rural seaside town, had to close down at the beginning of March 2025 after carbon monoxide from the fire infiltrated via the ceiling, leaving a film of black grease over all the surfaces.
The shop retains much of its original layout and paint colours but has been given a complete refresh
Repainted, refreshed and restocked
Now four months later, the store in The Square on the High Street has been repainted, refreshed and restocked, and will open its doors at 9.30 am on Saturday 5th July 2025.
Fire crews from Swanage, Wareham, Poole and Westbourne were called to the blaze just after 3 pm on Thursday 6th March 2025.
Black smoke billowed out from the takeaway and it was later confirmed by the fire service that it had started accidentally in a fat fryer.
While much less obviously damaged, everything in the clothes shop had to be replaced except for the flooring due to the smoke.
Fire crews at the scene of the fire in March 2025
The black billowing smoke permeated through from Dino’s to the adjoining shop Coast and Country
With extensive fire and smoke damage, Dino’s remains closed
“Carbon monoxide infiltrated through the ceiling void”
Coast and Country is owned by Di Standley and Michaela Hutchings, who also own two other Swanage shops, Tilly Whims and Country Corner. Di Standley said:
“At the time, Michaela and I were in London on a buying trip when we got a phone call in the afternoon from our staff, saying they’d evacuated the shop due to a fire next door and it wasn’t known whether it would spread into our shop. There were five fire engines and thankfully they were able to put the fire out.
“However as it was a cooking oil fire and there were plastics in the takeaway, carbon monoxide infiltrated through the ceiling void into our shop. When we came in the next day there was this carbon oily deposit over all the clothes and racks.
“The carbon particles are carcinogenic and due to health and safety regulations there was no way we could save the stock. When she arrived, the insurance assessor just wrote everything off.
“We had to change all the electrics and anything porous – so clothing, wall cladding, and ceiling tiles. The only thing we could save was the plastic flooring and a wooden bench which we could revarnish.
“When the specialist cleaners came, they took eight days to clean the whole place. It was very frustrating when people said they couldn’t understand why we were still closed, when it was ‘just a bit of smoke’!
“We had a Hepa extraction unit, which brought all the carbon particles down to the floor, from where they could be removed. We must have one of the cleanest and freshest shops in town now!
“I must mention that so many regular customers have been so supportive and it really touched me when one told me that they’d been praying for us at her church. Also local designer Angie Phillips has done a great job creating all our new signs.”
Getting the shop ready for Saturday are Coast and Country co-owners Di Standley (left) and Michaela Hutchings (right)
Reopening at 9.30 am on Saturday 5th July 2025
Back with its own fun brand
Own Coast and Country brand
The shop is now stocked with its main brands including Crew Clothing, Regatta, Dare2be plus shoe and boot brand Grisport.
It also has beach flip flops from Gumbies, which sounds like an Australian make but is actually based in Poole and uses recycled rubber.
The team has also created its own t-shirts and quality hoodies in a variety of colours with a Coast and Country design, celebrating Purbeck beauty spots.
The shop is expecting more stock over the next couple of weeks, including from coastal brand Seasalt, plus new autumn season clothing coming soon.
Oakley the dog keeps an eye on things as Head of Security!
The historic building used to be home to New Look before being taken over by Coast and Country in 2018
Di Standley points out the snazzy swimwear and matching sun hats
“There’s been plenty of sleepless nights”
Di Standley added:
“Because we own two other shops we were able to keep our staff employed, although on reduced hours but the damage from the fire very nearly crippled us.
“We have lost tens of thousands of pounds in income and while we will eventually be compensated by the insurance, it has caused huge cash flow problems.
“It is not as simple as just claiming for the damage – we have spent weeks waiting for the insurance company to process each stage of our claim.
“Are we in a worse financial position than before the fire? Yes we are. It hasn’t been easy and there’s been plenty of sleepless nights.”
Sustainably made Gumbies from Poole
A view of Ballard Down is one of several new murals to decorate the shop
New murals of Swanage
The shop in the historic building used to be leased by fashion chain New Look but was taken over by Di and Michaela in October 2018.
They decided to stick with the same paint colours of turquoise blue and bright green to decorate the internal walls but have added stunning new murals of Swanage to brighten up the shop even further.
Good quality walking shoes and boots from Grisport
Michaela Hutchings models a Regatta swim robe with a classy Orla Kiely design
“Special offers and giveaways”
Michaela Hutchings said:
“Please come and say hello and have a look at what we’ve done to the shop, when we open on Saturday – we would love your support. There’s all our new stock and they’ll be special offers and giveaways.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming customers again, old and new!”
Further information
- More about Coast and Country
