Painters aiming for quick post-fire comeback

As reported by Newsday, a fire broke out at Painters in Brookhaven early Tuesday morning, damaging the building and briefly closing the road nearby.

Comments and questions soon followed via social media, with concern that the restaurant -- unique in its wall-to-wall décor of paintings, art and sculptures and popular for its busy nightlife calendar -- might be forced to close permanently. But according to owner Larry Wollhandler, the venue should be back, up and running in only a “couple of weeks.”

Wollhander says the blaze, which officials said seemingly started in the kitchen area, actually was limited to the venue’s second-floor offices. He also mentioned that any physical harm to the restaurant and the art was minor, just some incidental smoke and water damage.

Furthermore, Wollhander expressed his sentiments to those who may have thought the worst, that his staff is still in place, and he is looking forward to getting everything back to normal.

The Painters website (as of Tuesday) carries this message under its “411” section:

“I would like to say that the fire at Painters was not as bad as the news says. The fire was confined to the second floor office and there was minimal damage (some smoke and water) to the restaurant. All of the art is perfectly fine and we hope to be open again within a week or two. We at Painters' would like to thank everybody for their concern and kind wishes. We will post updates and let you know when we will reopen.”