Fire destroys Portsmouth
coffee shop

PORTSMOUTH, Va - A popular Portsmouth coffee shop is closed after a faulty motor on an ice cream machine sparked a fire over the weekend. The Portsmouth Fire Department was called to the scene of a structure fire at Starboards, a local gathering spot in the heart of Olde Towne Portsmouth.

The fire was called into dispatch at 1:26am on Saturday morning and when firefighters arrived on scene, there was fire on the exterior of the kiosk and some minor smoke and water damage to the interior.

Starboards is locally owned and operated and had become a popular year-round gathering spot for locals, area visitors and boaters visiting High Street Landing. Originially opened by the Portsmouth Convention & Visitors Bureau the kiosk served as a seasonal information booth.

While it's still owned by the City of Portsmouth, the Cartier family took over operations in 2004 and Starboards became a compliment to the historic Olde Towne neighborhood. The Cartier family is in the process of working with the insurance company and getting bids to get the work lined up so that Starboards can re-open.