When the historic VJ’s Grocery and Cafe in Volente closed in 2008, the property had been in the community for more than 160 years. Today, the spot has new owners with plans to reopen. And during the remodeling process, much of its history has come to light.
After purchasing VJ’s in January, Loved Homes hired Frie Planning, Development and Construction to create a plan for the redevelopment. Upon joining the project in March, Vice President Kellie Rush-Frie began digging into the history of the property.
“I knew there used to be gas pumps here,” she said. “As I started looking into the history [of the gas pumps], I started finding more amazing things about the property.”
She eventually found a pre-World War II bullet, 1950s newspaper insulation in the walls and an area of the building rumored to have once been a brothel. Rush-Frie began working with a neighbor and a former resident of VJ’s to put together the history.
