DE PERE, WI (WTAQ) – Not even 24-hours after a massive fire turned a historic building in downtown De Pere to smoldering ash local business owners are coming together to share the grief.
“I’m so sad,” says Ilde Nielson, owner of OGAN Restaurant, which was located in the building.
OGAN moved their establishment to downtown De Pere in 2014.
“I came to work with the pleasure to enjoy — and now it’s all gone…all gone,” she says.
For Nielson, every minute of their time spent there was enjoyable, until a phone call early Wednesday interrupted the dream.
“We run here right away,” she explains. “I came here and I start to cry, it’s my baby.”
Other community members are lamenting the loss of small businesses and living spaces, but maybe even more importantly, decades-upon-decades of history.
“We have lost a historic treasure that is not replaceable,” says Tina Quigley of Definitely De Pere.
Quigley says it’s a huge blow to the community, but residents will do whatever it takes to help one another out.
“The loss of the historic building and just an iconic landmark of downtown, but right now our attention is really focused on the individual tenants, especially the business tenants, really reaching out and working with them individually,” she explains.
And Quigley, among others, remains confident that the area will rebuild and rebound from the devastating loss.
“You know, I’m sure any community would claim that, but I happen to believe that De Pere is just a little extra special — and we’re seeing that,” she says.
