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New owners bring back old name for Mertins Main Street Cafe in IR

Business Spotlight

By MARGUERITE LANTHIER, Staff writer 4 min read

IRON RIVER -- The Main Street Cafe in Iron River, under new ownership, is returning to its roots.

It will now be known as Mertins Main Street Cafe, a nod to one of the early names.

Nora Norman and her fiancé, Keith Olson, purchased the cafe at the end of June and she hopes to bring back the sense of nostalgia she feels about the place. Her mother worked there and she has fond memories of growing up in Iron River. The 1979 West Iron County High School graduate recalls fun times and Friday fish fries.

"We used to come in for fish fries when I was a kid and just all my life have been coming to this restaurant," she recalls. "I want to bring some nostalgia, some memories back to the restaurant so when people walk in they remember. I think it already does bring back a lot of memories."

The restaurant was opened under the name Mertins Cafe in 1922, when the former Majestic Cafe was purchased by Harry Mertins and his wife, Cele. Harry was well known for his friendly demeanor and his interesting advertising strategy. He had signs all over the country that advertised "Mertins Cafe in Iron River, Michigan," stating how far away it was in miles. It was also remembered by many as a Greyhound bus stop.

It was purchased by Ronald and Dianne Waite in 1958, who operated it until they opened the Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise in Iron River in 1972. It was later known as Main Street Cafe. Norman and Olson purchased it from Brenda Davis, who owned the business for 21 years.

Since taking it over, Norman and Olson have made a few changes to the restaurant, mainly in equipment. The menu is largely the same — good Yooper comfort food at affordable prices, like breakfast items, sandwiches and homemade soups. They plan to streamline the menu a bit and also offer daily specials that aren't on the menu.

She believes they are known mostly for their friendly staff of 11, who have largely remained from the previous owner, as well as their food.

Norman and Olson met at the Mine Shaft Restaurant in Oshkosh, where she was a bartender/hostess/waitress and he was a cook.

Olson, who is from the Fox Cities area, said he had always wanted to own a restaurant.

"Cooking is one of the things that I enjoy doing. I don't really consider it to be a job. We talked about owning our own business. We tried in Oshkosh for a couple of places. Then we saw that this was for sale, like, three years ago and kind of decided to do it," he said.

Norman wants to honor local people with plaques on the walls. She plans to put a painted Wykon, the school logo, on one wall with the plaque for the original artist, Brandon Giovanelli. Other featured people may include Nick Baugartner, Jean Mack, Lee LeBlanc, L.E. Ward and Ann Miller.

A small area inside has some old items featuring the Mertins logo. Andy Busakowski from Central Arts & Gifts and Jayne M. Remondini from Miners Insurance gave them a framed plaque with historic photos of the restaurant that now hangs on the wall.

She loved the sense of community the restaurant instilled and wants to bring back that feeling of being a gathering place for the community.

"And we’re gonna try and bring a little fun into the community. We want to try a couple of murder mystery dinners," she said. They are also considering bringing back the Friday fish fries that were popular, as well as possibly something on Monday evenings.

They are open 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily but are thinking about changing the hours during the winter to 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The restaurant also is available for private parties during closed hours.

The restaurant is at 321 W. Genesee St. in downtown Iron River. They can be reached at 906-265-4944.

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Marguerite Lanthier can be reached at 906-774-3500, ext. 85242, or mlanthier@ironmountaindailynews.com.

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