FREEPORT – It’s been more than five weeks now since a basement fire forced Ryan and Michelle Doherty to close down Doherty’s North Freeport Store, and still they can’t reopen.

The smoke damage was that bad. It wiped out all the inventory, which Michelle Doherty estimated at $20,000, and also destroyed machinery and just about everything else. It’s been a trial for the couple, to say the least.

But there’s one thing the Dohertys want people to know. They haven’t closed the store for good, or sold it. They will reopen by Memorial Day, they hope.

“A lot of people just think the store’s closed,” Michelle Doherty said last week. “We have a message on our answering machine. We’re looking at two more weeks, at least.”

When Ryan Doherty arrived at his accustomed 5 a.m. to open the store on March 24, he walked into a smoky mess. A malfunctioning heater in the basement caused the fire, his wife said. Firefighters contained it, but the smoke caused widespread damage. Though the Dohertys are insured, they have paid a price.

“All the food was condemned by the state,” Michelle Doherty said. “Every wine bottle, every soda bottle, every beer bottle, every box of spaghetti, dog food – everything.”

The Dohertys hired a cleaning company, which assisted them with an inventory. They took photographs of every item in the store, got a description and a price.

“I caught up on my paperwork,” she said. “We’re just kind of waiting because the cleaning is taking longer than we expected. They just had to take everything apart. They even had to clean in the attic.”