Kinlaw's Supermarket, also known as "The Meat Store," burned in Fayetteville on Saturday night.
"It's not actually a store," owner Tommy Kinlaw told WRAL News. "It's a place that we minister to help people."
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Kinlaw says he bought the supermarket on Sapona Road in 1979 with $325 in his pocket. He has poured his heart and soul into making Kinlaw's Supermarket a success.
The family-owned grocery and restaurant employs 40 people. The fire destroyed the supermarket, but Kinlaw said the restaurant will be open on Tuesday.
He also committed to paying all of his employees their full salary while repairs are made. He said other area businesses also offered to employ Kinlaw's employees on a temporary basis so that no one will go without a paycheck.
Kinlaw said the fire was sparked in an electric fuse panel inside the supermarket, and likely smoldered for hours before firefighters were called on Saturday night. Fire and smoke did extensive damage to the store.
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Neighbor Silvia Glanton said the damage goes beyond brick and mortar. "It was devastating," she said.
Kinlaw is putting his faith in reopening in the hands of God.
"God has a plan," he said. "My wife told me when she set there and watched that building burn, she said, 'You're not going to believe what god's fixing to do.'"