Giovannucci Brothers Say Business Remains Robust

It has now been six months since the March 1 fire at the destroyed the office of Giovannucci Brothers contracting business, and business is still booming.

"We've been very busy," said Erica Giovannucci, who manages the office duties for the family-owned contracting firm. "At this point, we've moved to Atlantic Avenue in Marblehead and things are going well for the business."

From the outside, it may appear that the office location for a business like Giovannucci Brothers might not be as important as that of a retail shop or restaurant, but Giovannucci said the company does miss the higher profile location they'd enjoyed at the Gateway building.

"That spot (at Gateway) was great, right on the corner," she said. "It gave a sense of 'we're here and we're not going anywhere,' and I don't know if this new office has that same (visibility)."

Giovannucci said that it is too early to say if the business would return to the Gateway location when a new building goes up.

"My sense is that the rent will probably be much higher because of the new construction, so I don't know what the plan will be," she said. "It will probably be a good year or two before the building gets built, so we'll have to see where we are (in terms of business) when that happens."

Giovannucci, like many of the other tenants of the building noted that after the fire, residents andwere very helpful and supportive as they worked to keep their business running, and expressed gratitude for that support.

"We are grounded in the town and we intend to be in business here for a long time,"she said. Regardless of where their office might be.