May 22—FELTS MILLS — Joanne M. Bura is offering a reward for information after she said her sewing shop was set on fire last month, destroying the business that helped her cope with the loss of her husband.

Joanne's Sewing Headquarters went up in flames around 1:15 a.m. Friday, April 15. Felts Mills Fire Chief Guy Manor said at the time that the rear of the Route 3 building was fully engulfed in flames by the time crews got there. There was no one inside at the time, and the cause had not been determined.

State police said on Saturday that an investigation into the sewing shop fire has started and that it has been deemed suspicious. State police is being assisted in the investigation by Jefferson County fire investigators.

Ms. Bura, who grew up in Felts Mills and operated the sewing business for 26 years, offered a $1,500 reward this week to anyone who can provide information that leads to the arrest of a suspect. Her business wasn't insured, but that's not as much of a concern compared to finding the person or people responsible so someone else doesn't go through the same thing, she said.

"My heart is broken," Ms. Bura said. "I just want to catch them. I know they're probably not going to do anything to them, but I want to know who did this."

Ms. Bura said it appears a back window to her business was broken the morning of the fire. She said people have either attempted or successfully broken into the shop on six occasions in the past. Intruders are looking to steal her military surplus merchandise, Ms. Bura said. She's installed a security system from STAT Communications, Watertown, but that hasn't been effective as the intruders will run whenever the alarm goes off. So, she has taken security measures a step further.

"I put in cameras," she said, "and that was probably my biggest mistake."

She believes that on the morning of the fire, someone broke in to steal the military merchandise and saw the cameras.

"They took it, saw the cameras and lit the place on fire," Ms. Bura said.

She said the area where she kept wedding gowns and formal wear was ignited first.

"I don't know how someone could do that," she said. "My heart is broken."

Ms. Bura's business provided any service relating to sewing. She alters wedding gowns and prom dresses. She also sells clothing, dresses and military merchandise. It's been her livelihood, but it's meant much more since 2018 when her husband, William J. Bura, died.

"I lost my husband 3 1/2 years ago to cancer," she said. "That was my point of going down there, to help me cope with his death. It gave me a place to go and to get you out of the house and to keep my mind busy. That's the hard part."

Now her business is leveled and she's paying to have it cleaned up. People have asked her to reopen, but she said the thought of someone burning it down has taken the heart right out of her.

"My son said, 'Why don't you start over?' I said, 'Why, so they can burn it all down again?'" she said. "I'm not ready yet for this."

Ms. Bura encourages anyone with information to call her at 315-773-5505.

"I don't ever want this to happen to anyone else," Ms. Bura said. "If you're out and about at night and you see something, say something."