Miyosiwin Salon owner Jennifer Dubois said walking into her business after a fire destroyed neighbouring Lang's Cafe was a surreal and devastating experience.
"It's hard to accept at first and still hard," Dubois said.
Regina's first Indigenous hair salon opened its doors just last year, offering cuts and colours with cultural sensitivity and respect.
"We were doing so well. And, you know, just building on our reputation and our impact on the community," she said.
The fire started last Wednesday morning and completely destroyed Lang's Cafe.
Surrounding businesses, including Wonderland arcade and Miyosiwin Salon, remain standing but suffered substantial damage from water and smoke.
Now they're trying to figure out what insurance will cover.
"We're dealing with more than just my insurance, but with landlord's and Lang's so we know who's at fault for what. So just trying to figure out those details right now," Dubois said.
Dubois said she wants to get the place back up and running as soon as possible. She said the salon was growing and flourishing.
"Even though it's such a tragic situation, it's also nice to see already how much of an impact we've had on the community, so to see all the support that is coming into us makes us feel good, because we were on the right track," she said.
The entrepreneur, who is originally from the George Gordon First Nation, said she wants to expand the business even more, despite the setback.
An online fundraiser has raised more than $5,000 for the salon so far.