After 25 years, my mother & father in law have decided to close the doors of their restaurant. On Friday, June 14th at 2pm, Hometown cooked and served it's final meal. It was bittersweet as it has been a labor of love for the entire family.
A letter written by my MIL to her customers...
Oh where do I even begin...February 29, 1988 (Leap Day) seems like such a long time ago! My how my life changed on that day over 25 years ago! I went from being a stay-at-home Mom to my three amazing children to being an owner of a business which took me out of my home 7 days a week. What a drastic change that was!
This whole journey started when my dad, saw Dean and I purchasing the restaurant as an opportunity for Dean to get out of the factory. However, we soon realized that if we wanted to stay married, he needed to go back to the factory! Interesting that my dad encouraged me to do this, considering he would never allow me to work at the “Maid-Rite” because I was a “farm girl” and had chores to do. Looking back, I truly had no idea what I was getting myself into.
After several years of being open 7 days a week, we finally decided we needed some family time, so we opted to close on Saturday nights and Sundays. Being able to worship the Lord every single Sunday has always been incredibly important to me. In hindsight, that was one of the best decisions we have ever made.
Owning and running a restaurant is like what my dad used to say about milking cows, “You have to be married to it.” I had no idea how much I would have to sacrifice in order to make this endeavor a success. For example, when my daughters went to Prom, I couldn't be there to help them get ready, I was at Home Town. When my son scored his one and only touchdown playing for the Montezuma Braves, I was at Home Town. When my daughters cheered for the Montezuma Braves and Bravettes, I was at Home Town. I have been blessed with 8 wonderful grandchildren and I do not want to miss out on anything because I am at Home Town. Those are just a few of the things I have missed out on and I don't want to miss anything more.
On the flipside, I have some amazing memories and wonderful times because of Home Town. I have made wonderful friends and established some pretty great relationships. I have been able to share the joys of my children's weddings and the blessings of becoming a grandma with many of you. We received so much sympathy from many of you when both Dean's and my parents passed away. Lucky for me, I got to celebrate all of the milestone birthdays between the ages of 35 and 60 with all of you! Never in a million years did I think I would still be here to employ my own grandchildren. What a blessing that has been! Not many Grandma's can say that!
It is with a very sad but excited heart that I am telling you that June 14th, 2013 will be the last time I will unlock these doors at 6:00 A.M., start brewing coffee and frying bacon, and wait for your orders to come in. Thank you so much for the wonderful memories and if you need me, I will be enjoying the company of my husband and, more than likely, at Montezuma Community School watching my oldest 6 grandchildren or in Ankeny cuddling my youngest 2!
Although she closed the door to Hometown last week {and an entire chapter of her life}I couldn't be more excited for her to have the opportunity to spend more time with the people the mean that most to her {her grandchildren & kids}during her next chapter of her life.
>>Sometime in July 2013, the building will be demolished and a gas station will replace it. Ironically, long before Hometown was built, a gas station sat on that very lot. I guess we could say 'full circle.'
