Collectibles shop ruined by Fall River fire vows to rebuild

Collectibles shop ruined by Fall River fire vows to rebuild | Exclusive

Nick RommelThe Herald News
Oct. 9, 2026, 4:03 a.m. ET

• A fire destroyed a Fall River collectibles shop, Two Lucky Collectibles, along with its entire inventory.
• The shop’s building was demolished by the city following the fire, leaving the owners to start over.
• Owners Zeke Cruz and Gregory Bouchard lost an estimated $55,000 in uninsured inventory and equipment.
• The business partners are seeking a new location but struggle to find affordable rent downtown.
• A GoFundMe has been started to help the owners rebuild their business and secure a new lease.

FALL RIVER — When the fire came, Two Lucky Collectibles was on the cusp of a new chapter, planning to replace shelves with tables and create a community space for people to gather and play card games.

Then, on the evening of Sept. 23, a fire tore through the vacant Columbian Building next door and spread to 298 S. Main St., which the upstairs collectibles shop shared with a pawn shop and a couple small offices.

Fire and water damage destroyed the store’s entire inventory and equipment. That same Friday, the city of Fall River oversaw an emergency demolition of the building ahead of a weekend storm. The store was gone.

“It’s crazy that one can dump their whole life savings into something and then everything just be like, ‘Boom, gone,’ tomorrow,” said store co-owner Zeke Cruz. “That’s where I’m at.”

A growing business has to start over

With his business partner Gregory Bouchard, Cruz grew the trading card store from a small online business to a brick-and-mortar location, building an online following and starting to earn steady revenues that went back into the business.

“We didn’t pay ourselves out. Because we weren’t really in it for the money,” Cruz said.

He was optimistic his downtown Fall River location would profit from new development and population growth. Looking ahead, he aimed to make his living from it after recently leaving his nine-to-five.

But now, Cruz and Bouchard are back to Square One, looking for a new space. They hope to rebuild but are struggling to find anything close to the deal they had on South Main Street: $700 a month, utilities included.

“That’s probably the hardest part,” Cruz said.

They have raised $2,745 on GoFundMe as of Oct. 7. Their listing states the funds are needed for “securing a new lease, covering rent, and rebuilding the shop with the essentials they need, including wall slats, tables, chairs, displays, TVs, computers, CCTV, and inventory.”

A Fall River story: Card shop grows from humble beginnings

Cruz grew up in Brockton but moved to Fall River about 15 years ago.

“I always knew there was something in Fall River. It’s not a small city, but it is a small city, but it’s not a small city, if that makes sense,” he said.

Two Lucky Collectibles started as a hobby in 2018: initially selling retro video games online, then Pokemon cards at a booth in the now-closed Globe Flea Market.

The store on South Main Street opened in February 2022, adding vintage and rare sports cards to the mix. Over the next few years, Cruz said he worked hard to make his business financially stable.

In May 2026, he left his job as an Xfinity salesman to focus on it full-time.

“I wanted to take a chance on myself,” he said.

He said it allowed him to spend more time with his 8-year-old daughter. He “wasn’t rich,” but the decision brought him closer to the financial freedom he dreamt of. He was content.

“This summer has been amazing,” he said.

On the night of Sept. 23, everything changed

Cruz said he heard about the fire from relatives and social media posts soon after it started. He rushed over.

“I just had a feeling like, based on what I’d seen, that this wasn’t going to go down easy,” he said of the fire.

Police officers didn’t let him get close, he said, so he went home, returning to the fire every hour or two, taking naps and checking Facebook in between. As the night wore on, he realized his building would not be spared.

“I was standing in front of my store just watching it burn,” he said.

The next morning, firefighters let him into the building. His back office was “scorched” and inaccessible, he said, its door “burnt into and fused with the wall.” His inventory of cards was too soaked and smoky to save.

He estimated his inventory and office equipment was worth about $55,000 and that he’s invested about $250,000 in his business over the years. He said the shop was not insured.

Path forward is uncertain for card shop owners

Cruz said he and Bouchard are already looking at new spaces. They loved one, but it costs about triple what they were paying at 298 S. Main St. Cruz said they haven’t yet heard back from their former landlord, insurance agent Joe Pacheco, about possible vacancies in other properties he owns.

Cruz said he’s hesitant to leave downtown Fall River, the “heart of the city.”

“I’ve always seen the potential, especially on South Main Street,” he said.

He said he was “prepared” for South Coast Rail and for the “boom of people” moving to town. Stabilizing his business now, he reasoned, would mean he was “sitting in the right spot for when that time happens.” Plans for a community space were part of that.

Despite the immense financial hit the fire dealt Two Lucky Collectibles, Cruz said he’s committed to continuing the business, even if it means splashing on rent as he rebuilds.

“If I have to sacrifice a little to move forward, then I will,” he said.

Though he still doesn’t quite know how to feel about what happened, getting back on his feet is his main priority.

“I want to be sad about it, I want to be angry about it, but that doesn’t help me at all,” he said.