ELY – Community spirit is an important thread in the fabric of every small town. That spirit and generosity has been evident in Ely for the past two months for the new owners of Sir G’s Italian Restaurant.

Heidi and Dan Peace, who took over ownership of the Ely business last fall, were staring at a disaster on the evening of March 13 when a frozen storm sewer and heavy rains resulted in the flooding of their restaurant.

As they waded through the damage contemplating their next steps, Ely residents came to their rescue, and after nearly two months of work, Sir G’s was set to open this week.

“The story is pretty simple,” said Susan Laine, who focused her efforts on gathering an army of volunteers to help the Peace family.

“My husband Curt (a professional photographer) and I were celebrating our first wedding anniversary over the St. Patrick’s Day weekend,” she said, “and as we celebrated our lives in Ely, we asked ourselves, ‘who needs our love?’”

They immediately thought of their new friends at Sir G’s, whom they met during the Ely Winter Festival as they collected wooden nickels. Susan planted the idea on Facebook to organize, promote and celebrate a grand reopening of Sir G’s once they recovered from the flood damage.

“Helping our friends prepare for their first summer was critical,” Susan said. “Ely had a long, cold, hard winter. We lost friends, we lost businesses, we lost too much. And we did not want to lose the opportunity to come together and help our friends.”

They formed the “I Heart SIR G’s Grand Re-Opening Volunteer Group.”

Curt and Susan met with Heidi and Daniel to discuss their immediate needs, which were at that time, physical labor. “We each explained what we could bring to the table. Curt is a commercial photographer and business owner and I have a long background in sales and marketing,” Susan said. “I put out a request on Facebook and asked people to help out, if they were available.”

An initial meeting of volunteers included Tom Omerza, Zach Huberty, Steffi O’Brien, Kris Winkelman, David Wigdahl, Misty Merhar, and the Laines. “Following the great news that the insurance adjuster approved a new floor, we brain-stormed and developed media teams,” Susan said.  “I was getting a lot of great feedback. I knew that people in Ely were on board. I contacted the Chamber of Commerce and started the ball rolling for an official ribbon cutting, featuring the giant scissors and the Ely mayor. The teams were in place and we were getting busy with what needed to get done.”

By the end of April, the grand re-opening for the restaurant was in sight. Sir G’s was operating on a limited basis for several weeks providing take-out and delivery service of the Italian menu.

The website was updated with Curt taking food pictures. A new map for the entryway was ready. The marketing team continued to post updates on Facebook and reach out to local media agencies.  

“There has been so much love from so many people in Ely,” Heidi Peace said last Saturday as the staff prepared dough, and the new carpet was installed. “It has been so overwhelming how much support we have received from so many people.”

A 10-day grand re-opening celebration kicked off on Thursday with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The celebration will continue all week until the state fishing opener on Saturday, May 11.

“This has been a huge success,” Susan Laine said. “David Wigdahl contributed gift baskets from Potluck and Insula for nightly drawings, and the musical stylings of a young accordion player will be featured during the grand re-opening week. Northern Expressions has generously donated two free ice cream cone gift certificates for each night of the grand reopening.   Heavy Metal Sports is donating gift certificates. Sir G’s is donating a pizza a month for a year. We have other local businesses that are donating as well.”

On Monday, Susan said the restaurant was in need of 300 white ceiling tiles to be donated. “Just like that, the Taste Of Ely helped us out. It was amazing getting that message.”

Susan said she posts almost every day, creating excitement and talking to people who like to share their Sir G’s experiences. “I invite people to meet the new owners and make new memories. The community is coming together to save their favorite Italian restaurant, but mostly it’s to save their friends and neighbors, the Peace family.”