Many people go through life with a thought in the back of their head that some day they may want to open a business of their own – perhaps a bar and grill. If this describes you or someone you know, then look no further.
When the former Bent Wrench Bar & Grill in Fountain, Minn., went up for auction on Monday, June 12, 2017, the Drury family, owners of Drury’s Furniture located right next door on Fountain’s main street, attended the auction and left as owners of the building.
Why did they purchase the building? “Because Michelle nodded a couple times,” says Mike with a laugh and Michelle responds saying, “I looked at you first,” to which Mike agrees.
When Mike Drury and Michelle Drury Redalen were asked if they went to the auction with plans of buying the building, Michelle said, “We went in hoping someone would buy it to use as a bar and grill but we also were prepared to purchase it if we didn’t know how it was being sold or for what use” the building was being purchased.
“The other final bidder was an anonymous bidder on the phone,” states Michelle. “If there had been someone standing there that we knew we wouldn’t have even touched it,” Mike said. “We wouldn’t have bid against them,” notes Michelle.
“We were thinking more along the lines of what’s good for the community,” states Michelle, and trying to keep as many businesses open in town as possible will help the community.
“The town needs a bar and grill,” states Mike, and they would like to see someone local buy it and they would like it to remain a bar and grill. There has been a bar or a bar/restaurant in that building for as long as their father, David Drury, can remember and “it would be good for us to have a bar and grill in town too,” says Michelle.
As frequent customers to the Bent Wrench, “We miss it being there,” states Mike, as Michelle agrees, saying, “We miss it terribly,” and the two have heard that from others in the area as well.
They like the other restaurants in Fountain, the Village Square and Los Gables, very much and, “We try to support both of them,” says Mike, but more businesses in town is a good thing.
“We think Fountain needs as many businesses and doors open as there can be,” notes Michelle.
“We are not trying to make money on the building,” says Mike, “that’s not why we bought it.”
“We have had some interest but no one has been willing to take the plunge yet,” explains Mike, but they are hoping to have someone step forward in the very near future and buy the building to open a bar and grill.
“If anybody has even the faintest glimmer of interest we would like to talk to them,” states Mike. “We really want to get the word out there that if somebody is interested – call us,” he says.
“But if nobody wants to run it as a bar and grill we can make use of it,” states Michelle.
Mike says the town needs a bar and grill “more than it needs more furniture,” but says, “we can do more furniture if too much time goes by and we just can’t find anybody” to buy the building.
The Drury family speaks in terms of Plan A and Plan B when it comes to the future of the building. Plan A is to sell the building for use as a bar and grill. Plan B would be to use the building as additional space for Drury’s Furniture.
If no one comes forward to purchase the former bar and grill, “We would no doubt remodel it, make it so it’s attached to this building and do something interesting and different,” according to Mike.
“We have a couple thoughts of things we could do,” states Michelle.
“One possibility is that we expanded and started selling outdoor furniture this year, so we could maybe shuffle things around to accommodate showing more of that product,” explains Michelle.
“The other thing, a lot of people seem to not understand that we sell a lot of Amish wood furniture, because we don’t have it consolidated and shown in one spot, and we could easily have an environment that delivered that message more clearly,” she says.
“We would rather have it be more furniture than just someone’s storage building or something like that,” says Mike.
The building is in good shape, as it “looks like it has been well-maintained,” states Michelle. Most of the restaurant equipment was sold at auction but a few pieces remain.
In regards to how long they will wait to go ahead with the remodeling of the building, Michelle says, “He’s more patient than I am” about how long to wait. “I would start getting nervous if half a year goes by without it being sold,” comments Mike, as Michelle responds with, “Oh, I’m not waiting that long” to remodel if the building hasn’t been sold.
So for anyone who may be thinking of fulfilling their dream of opening their own bar and grill, now is your chance! For more information phone Drury’s Furniture at (507) 268-4363 and ask for Mike or Michelle.
Leave a Reply