Tom Swanson has a lock on some good friends.

Swanson lost inventory and equipment – not to mention his store of 13 years, A-1 Vacuum and Locksmith – in the five-alarm fire June 11 that destroyed a nearly 90-year-old building on Wells Avenue downtown.

His brother Bud was responsible for the vacuum part of the business. They were together for 28 years, downtown fixtures who had their shop on Sunset Boulevard and on Main Street, before moving to Wells Avenue.

Bud Swanson lost much of his inventory and has opted not to start over again, according to his brother. But Tom Swanson is moving around the corner, to a spot right next to Naan-N-Curry restaurant on South Third Street, to start anew.

His target date to open is Aug. 1.

First, Swanson has some work to do and insurance to buy. The fire taught him something.

“I won’t go into business without getting insurance,” he said.

The gutted building owned by Robert Delancey wasn’t insured, nor were the businesses on the ground floor, which also included The Comic Den. The Comic Den also moved around the corner to Third Street.

To make the move, Swanson is getting some help from his friends and probably some longtime customers.

A number of local businesses have donated store coupons and some items for a silent auction 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at 715 S. Third St. to help Swanson pay for the cost of moving and getting his new space ready for occupancy.

There’s a long list of businesses, but it includes Garland Jewelers, McLendon Hardware, the Seahawks, Sounders, Starbucks, Lowes, McLendon and Fred Meyer.

He’ll use the proceeds from the silent auction and about $600 from an account set up by one of his grateful customers at U.S. Bank downtown to help with renovations.

The work includes some electrical upgrades. One thing downtown businesses learned from the June 11 fire is not to overload the electrical system. Investigators determined the fire was started by an overtaxed outlet and power strip.

Swanson is thankful for the help he has received.

His friends, he said, “came together and helped me out in my time of need.”