GALION — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s order to close all bars an restaurants last month amid the Coronavirus pandemic had many business owners scared. But Charlotte Larson, the owner of the Whistle Stop Cafe and Trackside 30 in Galion has taken some lemons and turned them into lemonade.
During this mandated hiatus, Larson said she decided to do some routine cleaning and renovations at her businesses, so when the times come when she can open again, customers will be pleasantly surprised at what they see.
“We’re just cleaning it up, sterilizing and we’ve done some painting,” she said. We took the metal off the front of the bar and replaced it with bead board, took it off the top and we even put a new salad bar in,” Larson said.
“I’ve been wanting to do this,” she said. “But I did’t want to close when I first bought it. so I found this opportunity was really good. We’ve been doing a lot … painting, recovering the chairs.”
Work is also continuing at Trackside 30, Larson said, where they have refurbished the bar.
“We’re staying physically busy,” she said. “I plan to open next Saturday, (April 25) for to-go orders again at Whistle Stop. We’ll be running from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. everyday, until we see what (the state is going to do).”
“I have to keep my spirits up/ You can’t just sit around and get depressed,” Larson pointed out. “I’m looking forward to everything that is going to be much better.”
Larson said her employees are also keeping their spirits up and she keeps in constant contact with them and even said four of them are helping with the renovations.
“We’re all family,” she said. “They know if they need something they can come here. And everybody is coming back when we open back up. We’re doing really good, as good as we can be.”
When Galion’s Whistle Stop Cafe opens up again, regular customers will notice some changes, including a makeover of the bar area. Owner Charlotte Larson took advantage of a mandated closure to do a little remodeling.
Charlotte Larson, owner of Trackside 30 in Galion and the Whistle Stop Cafe in Galion is making a few changes to her businesses while it is closed, including putting in a salad bar and recovering chairs.
