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CAFE / 32 invest "I care about this town and I
<br /> want to keep it running,"said
<br /> happy," said Piekarski, who decided to explaining sh a eho d-
<br /> •
<br /> owns Ski's Lumber in er.
<br /> Swanville."But 42 showed up." "Everything panned out,"
<br /> "That was really the begin- said Bob Koetter a sharehold-
<br /> ning, right there," added er and owner of Bob and Fran's
<br /> Johnson. Grut.,20. in Swanville.
<br /> In all, 32 shareholders "Sometimes we had mistakes
<br /> invested $5,000 each to form we had to redo. There were f
<br /> ,:
<br /> the Swanville Restaurant Co., times Jim and I wished we `
<br /> LLC.They include retired resi- wouldn't have started this." e; !;
<br /> dents, farmers, mechanics and "We've had our squabbles," •gas station owners.The Gessell
<br /> g added Piekarski."Sometimes I �} Y�` 2 °�I.brothers — John, Frank and win, sometimes Bruce wins
<br /> • Joe — sold the office building and sometimes John wins." `}
<br /> used for the Gessell Feed Mill The restaurant, which will r
<br /> in downtown Swanville to be open 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. $
<br /> shareholders at a discounted seven days a week,will feature rate for the new cafe. home-cooked meals. Its spe-
<br /> While none of the share- cialty will be soft-serve cus-
<br /> holders knew anything about tard, an ice cream-like treat 1► 3
<br /> operating a cafe, they figured several shareholders discov- ', ,
<br /> the worst-case scenario was ered in Wisconsin. Linda ``
<br /> they'd lose half of their invest- Wrobel is manager/head cook ' . , -,_ ,
<br /> ment money if the cafe didn't while Kathy Van Norman has '
<br /> make it.They also could see a been hired as assistant manag- . "-';
<br /> 10 percent return on their er/assistant cook. Eight staff . 4`
<br /> investment if the cafe was suc- members in all have been � !
<br /> cessful. hired.
<br /> Piekarski• said they told In May the shareholders alt, ._
<br /> shareholders not to invest with will meet to elect board mem- f: I
<br /> the intent of making money. It bers. Johnson serves as chief '`{ �°
<br /> was an investment in the com- manager.
<br /> munity. Shareholders realize their r ,
<br /> In January, shareholders business venture is no small
<br /> went to work remodeling the feat.
<br /> CD building into Granny's Cafe,in "It is truly amazing," said z c m . N c 6'
<br /> honor of the late Elizabeth "Everybody y .> °'0
<br /> Piekarski. g we've m` m 'c o = 4-
<br /> "Granny" Gessell and all of talked to in other towns, they c --0 3 .x ar o. d ° c'o
<br /> Swanville's grandmothers who say,`How in the hell did you get `° s Cl) - m c a - - 2
<br /> were great cooks,said Johnson. that to fly?"' F m Er, 0 a . '- °'
<br /> Some of the contractors who "I'm just hoping that when I r N o 1°
<br /> worked on the cafe gave dis- y :° a
<br /> g die the cafe will stay open and :33 ,_ ,...a) y tar ayi t t
<br /> counts on their labor. In most the town will still be here,too," o `0 ` — i rn—
<br /> cases, the shareholders them- said Johnson. o v °' o ' °' 1°
<br /> selves rolled up their sleeves Since the remodeling ci o . ,c y 3 o E aii
<br /> and went to work. process began,nearly everyone N c T m y �'
<br /> The cafe, which also houses in town has been stopping by, oo ca o 0 c
<br /> an arcade for children and checking on the progress and -I -) c� N U. a. c -3 o a E
<br /> teens,will be open for business waiting for the restaurant and
<br /> April 29. It can seat 65 diners its arcade to open.
<br /> with a meeting room that can • "Everybody's checking all
<br /> seat 35 people. the time. It's the talk of the
<br /> Lowell Drager, a retired !town,"said Piekarski.
<br /> English, speech and theater "For a town of300,this is big
<br /> teacher from Swanville High i excitement,"added Koetter.
<br /> School,is not only a sharehold- And yes, Piekarski said
<br /> er but designed the cafe's morning dice games will
<br /> menus and serves as restau- return to Swanville at
<br /> rant 'historian, documenting Granny's Cafe.
<br /> through photographs the
<br /> fri
<br /> remodeling of Granny's Cafe.
<br /> During the remodeling process
<br /> they uncovered and restored
<br /> the building's original tin ceil-
<br /> ing. Shareholder John J.
<br /> Gessell spent most days at the
<br /> restaurant, volunteering long
<br /> hours to r•esture the ceiling..
<br />
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