A longtime popular eatery on Main Street near Harris Hill in Clarence closed in June when its owners retired. On Thursday, what was once the Old Red Mill Inn was sold off - one item at a time - in a public auction.
Items as large as full-sized rail cars, which served as extensions to the original red brick building built in 1858, and as small as dishes, bar items and other mementos were sold off one by one. It formally brought an end to an eatery that served customers for more than 50 years. It was owned by Dan and Shellie Hanley for the past 26 years.
"I had to be here to see how things kind of played out today with the auction," said Brent Powley, a relative of the Hanleys who stood back and watched the bids. "Everything's for sale. Train cars, all the contents, antiques... fortunately, all the memories we get to keep."
Among those who came to bid on a piece of history was Clarence resident Kevin Hickey, whose sister held her wedding rehearsal dinner inside the restaurant back in 1982. He was hoping to buy a small item to remind her of that night many years ago. As Hickey told WBFO, many local families have some special memory tracing to the restaurant.
"Anybody that's been a life-longer out here remembers the Coachman's (Inn) and the Red Mill Inn," he said.
This summer, two popular eateries in the Main-Transit area closed abruptly. One month after the Old Red Mill Inn closed, a fire forced nearby Carmine's to shut down. While owners of the latter establishment have vowed to one day reopen, family-owned businesses have watched many national chains move into the neighborhood. WBFO asked Powley if the days of the mom-and-pop restaurants were numbered.
"I don't think so. I think it's really based on the products," said Powley. "Any service is based on the product that they put out. You put out a good product, you're always going to have the clientele."
