Two months after a complete renovation and reopening under new ownership, a fire at the iconic Powers Hamburgers building on Harrison Street in downtown Fort Wayne forced its closure.
Less than a week later, the business was up and running in a borrowed food truck on the property and now boasts a second location as well, at the Union Street Market inside the Electric Works.
According to Indiana Landmarks, the Powers brothers, Leo, Clell, Harold and Dale, started Powers Hamburgers in 1935 in Dearborn, Michigan, eventually expanding their burger dynasty into Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio.
Though Fort Wayne once boasted three locations, today only the original 20-seat diner started by Leo Powers remains, the only restaurant from the original enterprise to still carry the Powers name.
WBOI’s Julia Meek discusses the mutual benefits of such a collaboration with new managing partner, Alex Richardson and Electric Works’ Senior Experience Director, Kate Silliman, the rich local culinary history being preserved here, and how this display of community action speaks directly to Fort Wayne’s reputation as “the city that saves itself.”
Stay in touch with developments at the Powers Hamburgers Facebook page and the Union Street Market website.
Here’s a transcript of our conversation:
Julia Meek: Alex Richardson, Katy Silliman, welcome.
Katy Silliman: Hello.
Alex Richardson: How you doing.
Julia Meek: So, the roller coaster ride, our beloved, iconic Powers Hamburgers has been on is totally hard to believe, Alex. What are you feeling by now? I mean, can you even pause to feel it, let alone express it?
Alex Richardson: Yeah, I will say it's been a roller coaster, as you said. You know, just some mountain top moments and those first two or three months where, you know, we were having incredible record sales, and just so many fun stories coming forward.
And then obviously the terrible tragedy with the fire. And it's a bit deflating, but we really didn't pause that week, we had to find a solution for our team.
That's the thing that kept coming into our mind was, we have a group of folks that work for us that really want to serve the community. And so, we've worked really hard that week to figure out a solution.
You know, fire happened Monday into Tuesday morning, and by Friday, we were operating in a food truck on the lot.
Julia Meek: Who knew and who could believe it, but you acted fast. Actually, how did you find a food truck?
Alex Richardson: Really, we started Tuesday, reaching out to potential food trucks and talked with six or eight different places that had food trucks and just said, here's the idea. Does this make sense? Would you be available?
So, Tim, the owner of Acme, was generous enough to offer his food truck, he only had a couple events booked. And so, it was sort of a match made in heaven. We say it was 80 plus years in the making, them, starting over there at Acme, in 1941, us in 1940. (all chuckle)
So, you know, really has been a partnership 80 plus years in the making.
Julia Meek: Icons helping icons, indeed. Now Katy, Electric Works is securing a great relationship with all of its neighbors, even so, working hand-in-hand with the Union Street Market, getting all of that put together this quickly?
That's really, really remarkable. What motivated it all in-house for you, besides simply it being the right thing to do?
Katy Silliman: Well, also as another icon with the property itself, and seeing another landmark institution in need of assistance, one of our owners, Jeff Kingsbury, he saw it on Facebook and said, Hey, we had open spaces in the market and said perhaps there's something we can do to assist as well.
Ermin Husidic, our market director and I did a little digging, I think it was the week of the fire, Ermin reached out to Alex, started an email communication, which quickly led to a tour, which quickly led to the partnership. And here we are today with the grand opening at Union Street Market.
Julia Meek: You all make it sound simple. Of course, it wasn't that. Quick, it certainly was--a brilliant act. Now that you have been putting this all together, you've made these new connections, the unexpected opportunities that were already there that have been realized.
Over and above that, are there other things you've been contemplating doing together just in these days, since you've already been together?
Katy Silliman: Sure. We've had a lot of discussions. For us, it's all about let's test some things. Let's see how it goes.
Julia Meek: Now that you're got it all in house.
Katy Silliman: Absolutely. I mean, first and foremost, the important thing is to help Alex and the group get the restaurant back open. It is a landmark.
But we definitely hope that there's a huge success with the second location. And there's quite a few ideas that Alex has that we want to test out. And for us, it is a new market, they bring a new audience.
And so I think, you know, their entrepreneurial spirit in terms of reinvesting in this landmark and our focus of reinvesting in the GE campus, I think you really see an alignment of vision and focus behind community.
And so we want to leverage those combined spirits to see what we can maximize together.
Julia Meek: While it's there. And it is really intense.
Katy Silliman: Absolutely. Yep.
Julia Meek: Okay, both of your enterprises were built on the spunk and the spirit the whole Broadway corridor represents, as in Powers burgers, literally built strong General Electric employees, if you want to look at it that way. (chuckles)
Is that something you're conscious of as you're working all of this back together with everybody, again, you know, from the ground roots up in the neighborhood, and can it be developed just as a better state of mind then, in that whole physical space that is the neighborhood there?
Katy Silliman: Yes, we believe so. We are actively engaging with the neighborhood association and with the different neighborhoods and the individuals coming into the space.
Fort Wayne Farmers Market is another example. Leigh Rowan, who ran the farm market for years is recently retired. So, they're now coming in to Union Street Market, that's going to be their permanent home.
So, we're looking for all different kinds of ways that we can become a stronger community and love the aspect that first and foremost, we want to provide the space and lift up the businesses that are there. And what can we do to lift up those businesses?
This is the example; we want it to be that third or fourth space where community can come together. You know, if you think about the first space is the place you live, the second place is the space you work and the third space is where you find community.
We want to be the space where both you find community but also where businesses can thrive and clearly there's so much history, there's so much spunk.
We think that when you're able to leverage quality partners with successful business behind them like Powers has, that it is, is the right recipe?
Julia Meek: Is it safe to say y'all have enough of a mutual admiration society that you're seeing how wonderful it is to be partnering with each other?
Alex Richardson: Yeah, I think that the combined efforts, with the way we communicate with our audiences, you know, you look at social media today and the impact that we can have through telling our audience, look, we're in this new space.
It's not going to be the same as what it has been since 1940 at Powers Hamburgers, but it can be something new and exciting. I shared with customers even today that one of the things that makes Powers Hamburgers so magical is it's been a place where people share experiences, share a meal together, and you know, you're close with one another.
And so this is just a new space that people can have those same memories begin, and start new traditions. The building certainly is magical to many people in this community, but that magic can start as well at Union Street Market.
And we really do believe that it can be a new place to start new traditions with families.
Julia Meek: It feels as if the traditions that you say are from the 40s and with the GE itself and everything that's come after that, this all just is an organic outgrowth.
Katy Silliman: Sure.
Julia Meek: That's really quite something! Now I do wonder, Katie, this act of kindness is quite a gesture, that you'd expect a good neighbor to do. And you are good neighbors.
What is it gaining you, the Electric Works? Has it made a difference to the community at large as well as your own Electric Works community?
Katy Silliman: For sure. I think it adds another amenity for the tenants that are on campus. Also, in general, Electric Works is its own startup. The building and the campus is massive, but the guts and the people behind it are a small, entrepreneurial staff.
And we have seen turnover within Union Street Market. So, to be able to have the powerhouse restaurant of Powers in Union Street Market, you know, that helps to add credibility and bring another amenity and offering for customers of Union Street Market.
I think for us, it was great to have the vibe and the dynamic of Alex and his team in there operating, bringing in a turnkey restaurant to show how quickly you could launch a new business in the space.
It actually is the forefront we are going to launch an incubator program within Union Street Market to be able to fill other spaces. And so to have his group come in and show how quickly you could activate one of the stalls, I think was such a great way to kick off this concept of bringing in more of these pop-up businesses.
It's kind of a way for us to test merchants in the Union Street Market, say come in for a short-term engagement. If it works really well, perhaps you stay for a longer term. And I think we couldn't have asked for a better business.
And hopefully, the success where this shows, you know, knock on wood is, is a roaring success and this is a permanent second location for Powers, I think that's what we both hope for.
But I know for all of us, especially when, already they are tackling this as a crazy endeavor of becoming the second owners of Powers Hamburgers, and then they go through a tragedy, you know, nothing is certain.
So, I think for all of our sakes, kind of entering into this initial agreement, setting some big goals for both of us to make it success. And we hope this is the first of many cool things to come.
Julia Meek: By the same token, Alex, seems like you have had a few challenges already, so this must just be a walk in the park or the electric works (chuckles) is that how any new endeavor is hitting you by now?
Alex Richardson: Yeah! We see a lot of benefit of being in the space as well. One of the unique things that we've had just so far is, there's folks that come in to town from all over the country that visit Electric Works.
So, we've had people come up and say we're from Alabama, we're from North Carolina, we're from Florida. And you know, they're buying T shirts from us as well as burgers.
And so that's even better for us. The exposure to a new audience is something that we feel like Electric Works provides us, in addition to all the other benefits of being super close by. It solves a lot of logistical reasons for us in the background as well, just makes running a restaurant a lot easier.
And as mentioned, the space is really ready to go, and so we didn't have to solve a laundry list of problems to go into the space, we could drop into there, go how are we going to make this work for Powers, and open just days later.
Julia Meek: Which is great because you had a laundry list of problems to be solving outside of the Electric Works location. So that at least balanced that out for you. And you know, since none of this was expected or precedented, it'll surely take a while to process and no doubt everything was a surprise.
I'm sure you're continuing to remember things that you didn't even have a chance to focus on then. Even so, have there been any major big ones, stunning surprises that even your two enlightened groups just couldn't see coming?
Katy Silliman: Honestly, I was shocked at how fast this happened. I was totally shocked because in the world of Electric Works, nothing happens this quickly. Nothing happens this quickly.
And so, I felt like it really was kind of preparation meets opportunity. And the divine intervention of the universe was like this is what was meant to be.
And I think it was kind of a sign that this was a partnership that really was meant to come together for the community and for our businesses.
Julia Meek: That's almost a trailblazing situation or circumstance that the rest of the business worlds can learn from. And what about you, Alex, not even being able to expect on a small scale, while you were still reeling and shot from what all was happening anyway?
Can you believe it that you're sitting here talking about all of this right here right now and it's a done deal?
Alex Richardson: Right. Yeah, I think that it was incredibly fast. And you know, a lot of times when you get speedy, you make more mistakes. And you know, the talking with customers, the visitors that were there today, even?
People are happy that we're there. They haven't even caught up with the news, you know? We had customers stop and go, what, uh, when did you guys get here? We heard about the fire, but they haven't heard the news after that.
And that's why I think it's so important that we come to things like this to tell our story. You know, we want to tell the news, we want to tell it on social media, just to let people know that we're there, we're open, we're excited to serve them--come down to this beautiful space that we have and enjoy all that was there at Electric Works.
Julia Meek: And what a story you have, local she-roes and heroes at work, outperforming everything, it's really to be commended. And as the general population absolutely wants to know, any word on the progress and timeframe, and, what about continuing in two locations?
Alex Richardson: So, the progress that we have this week to update is, we've submitted all the architectural plans to the state. And the state does not work as quickly as Powers Hamburgers does (all laugh) or as quickly as Electric Works does.
And so, we had to wait on approval, we did get approval back. It sounds like the construction is going to get really moving forward in the next couple of weeks. And if the entire project goes perfectly, we're probably looking to be reopened in six or so weeks.
But anyone that's done construction, or a home construction project, knows there's always a curveball or two. So we don't want to throw an exact date out there yet.
But we know that that's the timeline for us to be back inside of our Harrison Street location and operating there. Now that doesn't mean that the Union Street Market location has to close at that time.
I think if we're supported by the community, we continue to be visited by the tenants that are in the other buildings, we would love to continue to operate. And we have aspirations to restore Powers to its heyday where it had three locations or even go beyond that in Fort Wayne.
We really do believe we have a ton of fans in the community. And if they had one in their own backyard, they probably visit more frequently.
Julia Meek: All good points. And in that quick turnaround interim time, we heard rumor of there being a slider eating contest. Might there be more of those on the premises?
Alex Richardson: Yeah, we really feel that the brand, Powers Hamburgers, lends itself to having a ton of fun. We had a car show that was an incredible turnout for that event.
And what's neater than eating some Powers Hamburgers and looking at some beautiful, historic cars? But yeah, the slider eating contest was, we say it's our first annual because we plan to do it again and again and again.
So, we'd love for that to be something that becomes a tradition for people to come out and enjoy.
Julia Meek: Keep us posted on all of that, to be sure. And your organizations have set a great example for community action and raise that title of city that saves itself, that Fort Wayne has been very, very proud of for some time, up at least another notch or two.
How does that personally resonate with each of you?
Katy Silliman: For me, I feel like that's embedded in the fabric of Fort Wayne, and for everything at Electric Works. And I think you can also see it within everybody who is surfacing and becoming a part of the Electric Works family, Powers being another perfect example.
You look at Do It Best, the anchor tenant that started in Fort Wayne, and they're now taking their next step, you know, moving from New Haven and becoming the anchor tenant in their space. And what they're doing at Electric Works is tremendous.
Steel Dynamics is another example. They've just now taken down the paper from their beautiful location in Building 19 and so there'll be more coming about that.
And so, I think the next step for us, which is this is what kind of my dream, we've been mostly focused on how do you operate a campus a huge campus that has been mostly vacant for decades, and just figuring out like, what does it mean for security, and we still have a lot of work to do with more signage and directional and making sure people know how to get to campus and where to park.
But one of the things that I cannot wait to do is engage the history of campus and make that more vibrant and alive and encourage all of the individuals who still come and tell me their amazing stories about their time as GE employees and all of the amazing innovations that occurred there.
We would love to create, be it museum, a space, have retirees be docents and do tour programs. So, that's my dream. Hopefully in the next year we can start putting some meat on those dreams and we've had a lot of conversations, but in terms of the city that saved itself, I mean, if Electric Works is a perfect example.
It really was a group of retirees plus the West Central neighborhood plus, you know, so many groups that came together to save that campus, and it has attracted state and national attention.
It's yet another perfect example of how that catchphrase is really true for Fort Wayne.
Julia Meek: And keep up the good work.
Katy Silliman: Thank you.
Alex Richardson: Yeah, so for Powers Hamburgers, I think the word we've been utilizing is resilience. You know, the resilience that this city has embedded in ourselves as the owners and operators of Powers Hamburgers.
But even within the community, right away, people were worried that this brand would just be gone forever, and how fitting we've been told by the Powers family that at one point there were 22 locations throughout the region, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana.
And for the last surviving one to be in Fort Wayne, Indiana, you know, how fitting is that to the resilience of Powers Hamburgers of this city, and in the spirit that we have.
What this has done is, it's shown that we have new life, you know, we breathe new life into this historic company.
And I really think that this could be a launching pad for us as we look to continue to expand it, continue to grow the audience and the fan base of Powers Hamburgers.
Being in a historic building that the GE campus is, that's a really unique opportunity for us as well to continue to build this brand and the legacy that it carries with it.
Julia Meek: Alex Richardson is a managing owner of Powers Hamburgers, and Katy Silliman, Senior Experience Director of the Electric Works. Thanks for sharing this remarkable story with us, you two, best of luck, do carry the gift.
Katy Silliman: Thank you, Julia.
Alex Richardson: Goodbye and thank you.
