There is a tremendous amount of history at the Main Street Café. Many patrons ask us questions about the building and the decor, so for all you curious souls, here is the Main Street Café Story:
On April 14th, 1870, a fire raged through Medina burning virtually the whole square except the courthouse (Now Whitey's Army & Navy located on the corner just north of the MSC), which was built with brick. Despite the horrendous loss, the Medina businessmen began to rebuild. During their tireless effort of rebuilding the town, the first building to arise from its ashes was The Old Phoenix Bank (named after the mythical bird that rose from its ashes). Wisely deciding to rebuild in brick and due to the fires timing (1870), the town still maintains its Victorian stature. The building that is now the Main Street Cafe was a clothing store at the turn of the century (which can be seen in one of the photos displayed in the restaurant), a Kroger grocery store in the 40's, an office supply store in the 60's and 70's and the Main Street Café in 1987.
In 1987, while renovating the building, a contractor attempted to frame the walls for new wall covering and a huge sheet of 4 ² x 10 ², 1.5 inch thick plaster came crashing to the ground exposing the beautiful brick that now dominates the interior of the restaurant. The original tin ceilings were sanded & painted and the rest of the restaurant was built as it stands today.
The Upstairs Bar is composed of elegant, lacy, Victorian age woodwork. The original beveled mirror and all original woodwork give an "old west" type of feel. It was found in an antique store that was closing on the square. It originally came from an ice cream store in New York City! We tried to strip the Lime Green paint, but feared that we might destroy the hand carved wood. Gary had a friend that owned a local body shop. He suggested repainting the piece with automotive paint, because the finish would last forever. They ended up painting the bar with 1969 Red Ford Truck interior paint and it's been looking good ever since!
When the building was a retail store front there were display risers in the front window. When Main Street Cafe was remodeled the risers were removed and inside the framing were these 2 flags. It was discovered and verified that these flags were from 1893. The photo below was taken on Memorial Day 1905 in the Medina Square. The highlighted area is where the Main Street Cafe stands today.
You will find other great pieces around the Main Street Cafe such as the Madam Marquis Boarding House sign in the seating section of the upper bar, The Indian Statue, which has made it's triumphant return to the front of the building, and many of the paintings on the wall were created by local artist, James Redden.
