Owner of Menomonie antique shop lost in fire determined to bring back business

MENOMONIE, Wis. (WEAU) - There is nothing left of a building in Downtown Menomonie after a fire Tuesday night. The owner of the Town and Country Antiques is now left with just her determination on rising from the misfortune.

“From the moment I found out, at 8 o’clock in the morning, I reached out to my vendors because my first thoughts were of them, and what they have lost,” said Sylvia Gengenbach.

She said she is not one for dwelling on the past, but it is hard to ignore the history of her Wednesday morning. The Menomonie Fire Department said Thursday the fire is believed to have been electrical in nature, but it is still investigating. The signs of the time though, could not be clearer with the crater that sits on the corner of East 3rd Street and Main Street.

“Many people who have lived here for some time would come in my store and they would say, I had no idea the store was this big,” said Gengenbach.

And the old antique shop was a sight to see.

“People drove here from hundreds of miles away,” said Gengenbach. “And, they didn’t buy just one item. They came to spend the day.”

What she treasures most, more than the collections of antiques and vintage finds, are her partners in business, the vendors who would at times work the counter.

“We are a family. I don’t know how to stress that enough,” said Gengenbach.

The building is a total loss, but Gengenbach believes the sense of community in Downtown Menomonie is still very much intact.

“I have been humbled this last week, by the outpouring of support and love,” said Gengenbach.

She said her time in the city is not over, vowing to bring back her business to the historical Downtown Menomonie district.

“And where that is, when that is, I don’t yet know,” said Gengenbach.

Which means, instead of living in the past, Gengenbach will keep her eyes forward and towards the future.