After dream goes up in smoke, StowNut Donut & Diner owners hope to rebuild, reopen

Denise and Eric Green have worked in the restaurant business in the Stow-Munroe Falls area for about 20 years, and their longtime hopes were fulfilled last year when they were finally able to call themselves owners.

But the couple's dream was dashed Wednesday afternoon when fire broke out at their StowNut Donut & Diner. As they looked over the damage Thursday, they turned their hopes toward picking up the pieces and reopening.

"It's everything we worked for," Denise Green said.

The Greens said six fire departments responded, including Stow, Munroe Falls, Tallmadge, Cuyahoga Falls, Kent and Hudson, after staff at the neighboring Edible Arrangements alerted authorities to smoke. The Stow Police Department also responded.

"We close at 2, so no one was inside, thankfully," Denise Green said.

Bill Green said he was grateful for the quick response and the fire was under control in less than 20 minutes — but that was enough time for extensive damage to occur.

"The kitchen is really bad," he said. "The dining room is mostly smoke and water damage."

A thin layer of smoke covered the restaurant's windows Thursday, and the smell still permeated the area.

"It's not good," Denise Green said.

The couple's three children also work at StowNut, which the Greens purchased from Karen and Andy Bellian nearly a year ago. There are 14 staff members total. Denise Green said they had planned to mark the anniversary of their restaurant ownership later this month.

Would-be customers who stopped by Thursday hoping to grab lunch could be heard saying "Oh no, that's terrible!" after learning the popular eatery had just closed indefinitely.

Still, Denise Green said, they hope to rebuild and reopen — adding she was grateful for the outpouring of community support.

"They attach 'Stow Strong' to everything, and they mean it," she said.

Eric agreed. "We never saw so much love in the past year, and then yesterday, we've had so many people come out and show their support. The mayor, our ward representative, Julie (McClain) from the chamber have all come down."

Mayor John Pribonic said the city and community are committed to help StowNut's owners and employees get back up on their feet, including a Stow-Munroe Falls Rotary Club fundraiser.

"Whether its monetarily or through sweat equity, we are willing to help out," Pribonic said. "This is an institution in Stow; they've been around for 21 years now."

Stow Fire Chief Mark Stone said the cause of the fire is still under investigation, "but we are taking a hard look at the circuit breaker box, which is the area of origin."

Stone said he and the city were grateful for the mutual response from the other communities.

"I believe we had 32 firefighting personnel respond to the scene along with several Stow Police officers who helped with evacuation of the plaza and clearing the parking lot for additional fire apparatus placement," Stone said. "Because of the quick actions of the first two companies on scene respectively, the fire was quickly brought under control, limiting the damage to the structure. The fire spread was contained to the diner itself."

Reporter April Helms can be reached at ahelms@thebeaconjournal.com

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: After dream goes up in smoke, StowNut Donut & Diner owners hope to rebuild, reopen