From salon's ashes, a sense of community

Nicholas Olivieri (left) and Michael Abdella, outside the fire- ravaged building that housed their salon in Northborough. (Bill Polo/Globe Staff)

Rebuilding is easier with two.

After 24 years together as partners in life, and 17 as partners in business, Michael Abdella and Nicholas Olivieri are facing their toughest collaboration yet: rehabbing their popular West Main Street spa and hair salon after last month's devastating fire, which caused more than $250,000 worth of damage.

While the process had been stressful and costly, they said, the disaster has also made them realize what an institution they've become in Northborough.

"Over three to four hundred people came by just to give us hugs and kisses," said Olivieri recently. "We couldn't believe we'd get such a response from the community. The spa has become a part of their lives for a lot of the ladies."

Abdella was surveying soot-blackened chairs in the spa's backyard as Olivieri spoke. "We have a good life," he said. "We don't need a pity party."

Both men spoke with trembling voices of the fire that gutted their shop, the Spa at Nicholas Michaels, early in the morning on Oct. 18. They recounted the middle-of-the-night phone call that first relayed the news, the hurried trip from their Boston home to the salon and, later, the cleaning crew they had to send home early.

"It was too emotional to watch the guys in suits throwing everything into the dumpster, not caring," said Olivieri.

No one was injured in the blaze. "If someone got hurt, it would have been a whole different thing," Olivieri said. "We might not have been able to go on. It's hard to turn things like that around."

About 40 firefighters from Northborough and five surrounding towns fought the two-alarm blaze, starting at 1 a.m., said Northborough Fire Captain James Houston. It took three hours to extinguish the flames, which ripped through the basement to the second floor of the 1850 brick house.

Initial damages were estimated at $250,000, but Olivieri said the cost could be as high as $1 million, as practically all of the spa's equipment, including machines used for minor cosmetic procedures, might need to be replaced.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated, according to the state fire marshal's office.

In the wake of the fire, Abdella and Olivieri have been preparing to open a temporary salon across the street at County Crossing Plaza later this month. They expect to work from there for six months, when renovations to the original house are expected to be complete.

David Zecco, the plaza's owner, offered the two men a location on the morning after the fire. "They're good people," Zecco said. "I've been in town all my life. We stick together."

At the same time, because Abdella and Olivieri canceled so many appointments but wanted to keep their 56 employees working, they have been offering free hairstyling at RG Shakour, a beauty product distributor on Route 9 in Westborough. They don't charge for the work, but ask customers to make a donation to the Northborough Police and Fire departments. They expect to raise about $50,000, they said.

Abdella and Olivieri said they did find themselves getting nervous when they read reports about an arsonist on the loose in recent weeks in Provincetown, where they share a house.

"It's our sanctuary," said Abdella. "We put someone in to live there. Can you imagine two fires?"