Pavers for Progress at Meyer’s Store

BLUE RIVER: More than five years after the Holiday Farm Fire, the owner of Meyer’s General Store & Liquor Shop is turning to a new, community-driven effort to help rebuild the beloved business after traditional financing has fallen through.

Owner Melanie Stanley said lenders have been reluctant to offer construction loans without recent income to show the rebuilt store’s earning potential. Without that revenue, she was told, the terms would likely require interest-only payments of more than $5,000 per month – an impossible lift for a business still in ashes.

Stanley had hoped to reopen by the September fire anniversary, but ongoing delays forced her to update supporters through the store’s Facebook page. “We’ve been stuck in a construction halt because of funding challenges, plain and simple,” she wrote. “Know we’re working on it – we have everyone we know trying to help.”

One new idea emerged from a conversation with a neighbor: selling engraved pavers to raise funds “brick by brick.” The campaign will invite supporters to purchase personalized paving stones, starting at $100, that will be installed in walkways at the rebuilt store. Stanley is also considering selling $25 shirts reading “I Helped Rebuild Meyer’s General Store.”

“It’s just part of the overall goal,” she said. “We’re really just looking to help support whatever other efforts we are able to get put together.” The store’s rebuilding deficit is currently about $775,000, even after scaling back some original plans.

Stanley said the project has been misunderstood by some who assume the rebuild is bloated with costly upgrades. In reality, she said, the new store’s cost is nearly identical to the price of basic replacement. “We wanted to make the building more than what it was, so it could serve the community in even better ways, but we didn’t do it at a bloated cost.”

She acknowledges that selling pavers and shirts won’t come close to filling the financial gap. The true aim, she said, is to give locals a literal stake in bringing the community landmark back to life.

“It’s to give everyone a chance to be part of the new story,” she said. “The community has been our champions through the process. When I’ve felt like I wanted to just give up, they’ve reminded me why I’m still fighting.”

Stanley says restoring the store means restoring a sense of home – both for her and the people who relied on the shop as a gathering place. “Selfishly, we want to have our ‘normal’ back,” she said. “I just want to be able to sit out front and visit with people like I used to… For some people that sounds ridiculous, but for me it sounds like home.”

A link to the fundraising campaign will be posted once details are finalized, she said. “We want people to have a single spot to go to. We’re working on the logistics now.”