BERKEY, Ohio — Early Sunday morning, a fire ripped through the over 100-year-old hardware and carryout store Keeler's Korner in the small town of Berkey in Lucas County.
Although the owner Gary Keeler and his wife live in the building's upstairs loft, no one was home at the time of the fire at the historic community staple located at the intersection of Sylvania-Metamora and Berkey Southern roads.
This small community is glad no one was physically hurt, but emotionally, it appears that the town is devastated.
Loyal customer Joel Hudik stopped by with his young daughter Josie Hudik to see how bad the damage was.
He offered Keeler some words of encouragement and explained that this building was the go-to spot in Berkey.
"This was our carryout. This was where we stopped and got our coffee, got our candy, and you know, bought our beer," Hudlik explained. "It's where we... It was ours."
Keeler noted that the goal is to keep the frame, if it's not too badly damaged, and try to bring back the old building.
There are things that he's collected over the years from all over northwest Ohio that he'll never be able to replace.
"Beautiful wood, woodwork, doors that had stories. You can't replace that," Keeler said.
But just because some things are now gone forever, he's not giving up hope yet. As customers and community members stopped by, they offered words of encouragement.
"Thanks for everybody who has been giving us the support. Somehow, we want to try and save this place," Keeler added.
Built in 1913, Keeler said the carryout has only changed owners a few times. He purchased the building back in 1992 and worked on it throughout the years. Keeler recently took ownership of the carryout in January of 2020.
He said the building was the heartbeat of the community for over a century.
But, what do you do when the beating stops?
"Can we bring this place back to life? I don't know," Keeler said. "But, we'd like to."
"I'd like to see it rebuilt exactly the way it was before," Hudik added. "Nobody wants to see a brand new building sitting there. This town doesn't look the same without that building on the corner."
Hudik couldn't believe the shell of the building before his eyes; he'd just purchased candy for Josie the day before it caught fire.
"It was our stop, it was our carry out. Come in and talk to the farmers in the morning. Have a coffee and get all the gossip for the day," Hudik said. "It's a landmark."
Keeler said community members have stopped by with their shovels, pickup trucks, ladders and any other equipment to help him out in any way they can.
He said the reason is because it's more than just a building. It's more than just a store.
This is Berkey, Ohio.
If you would like to help Keeler's Korner rebuild, here's a link to the verified GoFundMe in support.