After more than four months of closure, Holmtown Pub is throwing open its doors Saturday morning and Fort Scott appears ready to welcome it back.
The pub’s reopening announcement on Facebook drew more than 615 reactions and 174 shares, a response owners said reflects the community support that helped sustain them through an ordeal no small business anticipates.
Doors open at 11 a.m. at 206 National Ave. The closure followed a structural failure and a disputed insurance claim that left co-owners Charles and Kristy Holmes and James and Kristal Wood to fund repairs largely on their own.
The west wall of the pub’s north building collapsed Feb. 15, taking with it all of the building’s electrical panels. While customer-facing areas were not directly damaged, the loss made the building inoperable.
The building is owned by Holmtown Pub LLC, which is also a partner in the operating entity WoodChucks LLC. The insurer conducted an inspection and renewed the policy before the collapse, then denied the claim.
“The insurance company was not very responsive to the collapse and determined their policy did not cover any of the damages,” James Wood, co-owner, said in a statement to the Bourbon County Monitor.
Kristy Holmes told the Fort Scott City Commission on June 16 that the denial came roughly four months after a pre-renewal inspection that included a Google Maps photograph of the structure. The insurer’s only response was an email.
Holmes told the Monitor that the business had carried insurance with that company for 18 years, and this was its first claim.
With no payout forthcoming, the owners secured financing through local lenders and began rebuilding. Work included replacing the wall, restoring electrical service, renovating bathrooms to ADA compliance, repainting and reworking the outdoor patio.
Holmes told commissioners the business has invested about $80,000 to date, with an estimated $15,000 to $20,000 in work remaining.
She appeared before the commission seeking assistance through city Land Bank funds. Commissioner Tim Van Hoecke expressed support but asked Holmes to submit an itemized accounting of expenditures and pending costs ahead of a formal vote.
“I think we can at least put it to a vote at that time,” Van Hoecke said.
Any city assistance would be accompanied by a memorandum of understanding requiring the business to operate for a set period or repay the funds, according to City Attorney Bob Farmer.
The pub employed 15 to 20 people before closing and expects to match or exceed that on reopening. The business has operated for 19 years.
Wood said the closure became an opportunity.
“WoodChucks decided this was the right time to make some necessary improvements and cosmetically rebrand the business,” Wood wrote. “As a result, Holmtown Pub will be back and better than ever starting on June 27th.”
