Andrews Inn

Photo by Jeremy Youst. Collection of Andrews Inn Oral History Project.

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Photo by Evie Lovett

First year, three thousand dollars worth of broken glass. This was not something I had experienced. When I say "three thousand dollars worth of broken glass." I mean, the big panes in the restaurant. The front windows. And so that became another financial thing, not just the fixing of it, but what happened to the insurance rates. You just, I mean, not to mention the insurance rates when they relook at it as a building that has a drain going under it.

I learned a lot about, stress. I was hit for the first time in my life. I had never, I have never, hit anyone. And what was happening was when the bar would close, we would open the restaurant to serve people coffee, to give them some time and space to be safer driving back because people drove from great distances. We close the blinds so you couldn't see in the restaurant because people were enjoying themselves and it wasn't something I thought the town should be able to see in whatever way that was. So as a knock on the door and my tendency is to help. And so I thought somebody was in trouble. I think maybe what happened was it was a town kid who was trying to get in. I don't know that for sure, but I had a pot of coffee in my hand because I was known as Captain Caffeine at the time. And I opened the door and the kid punched me and knocked me down. And my staff jumped me and went out on the street and got him. And all that I remember was eventually he came and apologized. I remember sitting in the lobby, all of my staff hovered around worried about what might happen. But I think that's what the police worked out, was to have him apologize to me, which he did. — Thom Herman