A place known for its colorful creations is now charred and coated in soot.

Atelier Valoar Couture is a custom dressmaking and alterations shop.

It's been on Bedford Street in downtown Stamford for just over a year, but owner Danillo Valoar has been in the business for 32 years.

“I have stuff I collected for 30 years - a lot of material and things for sewing and to do my work. And I lost everything,” Valoar said after showing News 12 the blackened interior of his store Monday.

Dresses, jewelry, fabrics and furniture were all torched—an amount Valoar estimates could top $500,000.

Valoar was at home Friday when he got a call from the building’s manager telling him to get down to the shop after a fire broke out at the restaurant next door.

Stamford firefighters responded to Chez Vous Bistro, on the corner of Bedford Street and Spring Street, just before 5 a.m. The four-alarm fire took crews hours to put out as they battled the strong winds, along with the flames. The fire spread from the restaurant to other businesses and a nonprofit in the building. Along with Chez Vous Bistro and Atelier Valoar Couture, the Women’s Development Council, bubble tea shop Shiro, U & I Deco Fine Arts & Framing and women’s clothing store Whim were all forced to close after the city deemed the building unsafe.

“Yeah, it's rough,” said Whim co-owner Greg Hoffman. “We got through COVID. We’ve been through so many ups and downs and then this.”

Whim is a family business that appears unscathed on the surface but was also affected. There's no broken windows or burned items.

“Luckilym there's no actual fire damage in here, but unfortunately the whole store was filled with smoke,” Hoffman explained. “And it is a clothing store, so all the clothing is smoke damaged, pretty much ruined.”

Hoffman said his family is trying to get things figured out with their insurance, but he estimates the store will take a hit. Whim has four other locations--Darien, Ridgefield, Mt. Kisco, NY, and Bronxville, NY--which Hoffman hopes community members will visit while the Stamford location is closed.

“We've worked really hard building this company since 2017,” Hoffman told News 12. “One day at a time.”

As for Valoar, he said he already knows his insurance will only cover a maximum of $37,000 of his losses—a fraction of the total. He explained his policy covers up to $1 million of losses to his clients. Luckily, he was able to save any customer clothing dropped off there for alterations.

“I never expected this could happen to me,” Valaor said. “I need to buy a lot of stuff again.”

Valoar has started a fundraising effort to try to cut into his losses. He’s also found a temporary space to work out of nearby at 13 Spring St., but the setback comes at a bad time of the year for his business.

“Now starts the prom season. And after the prom, starts the wedding season,” Valoar explained.

If you’d like to donate to Valoar, click here.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Stamford Fire Marshal’s Office.