By Sara Strong
It isn’t one of the anniversaries that Brad and Amy (Dispanet) Ver Steeg celebrate.
At this time last year, they were mourning their business, or what was left of it, after a fire March 18 and 19. The Magnolia Steak House was first damaged by fire and then soaked with water, and makes them go down in local history as owners of one unlucky family business.
It was the second fire that destroyed the Magnolia Steak House; the first was in 1988 in the town of Magnolia.
It brought the Dispanet family business to Luverne, which Brad and Amy bought from Tim and Sue Dispanet in March 2001.
"Now we’ve been open longer than we’ve been closed, so that’s a good thing," Amy said.
The fire was caused by neon that lit the green stripes along the roofline. The conclusion was that wet snow conducted electricity between some wires and started the fire in the roof.
Smoke detectors and other alarm systems didn’t go off, making it that much more remarkable that employee Sue Erwin noticed smoke coming off the roof and called 911 at closing time.
"Nobody was hurt," Amy said, "and obviously, you can rebuild a building."
Still serving
Since its fire last year, most changes in the Magnolia Steak House aren’t noticeable to the average customer. Things like the improved kitchen facilities and added space behind the bar don’t get a lot of attention.
What’s gotten a lot of attention from owners Brad and Amy is customer and employee loyalty.
"If it was an Applebee’s that burnt down, I don’t think we would’ve seen what we did," Amy said.
"We had calls from people in Sioux Falls and e-mails from all over. We were getting flowers sent to us. … It says a lot about longevity and we reopened for the people."
Travelers to and from the annual Sturgis, S.D., bike rally were among those to take notice. "Sturgis is always a big thing and we had a sign out that said ‘Sorry, stop again next year.’ The construction workers were always getting asked," Amy said.
Besides those travelers off the interstate, there was constant checking to see when they would reopen.
They finally started serving customers again Aug. 28. (The meat market was the only area of the business never interrupted by the fire or reconstruction.)
Demolition work took up six weeks of the project’s time. At one point, the building was down to studs and concrete floor.
Other than appearances, there are some minor menu changes and Killian’s Irish Red got on tap just in time for St. Patrick’s Day.
The 2002 rebuild was a big undertaking, but it let the Ver Steegs put their own mark on the building: a slightly updated style reflected on the walls, layout, seating and carpet.
Even though the core of the building is different because of all the renovation work, reminders of a fire are still on the bar — which has a darker section of wood from the first blaze.
The Magnolia fire in 1988 was also started by an electrical short.
