An Elkhart restaurant owner told me he’s heard 47 stories about why The Firehouse closed last weekend.
The rumors are out there. Owner Larry Houghton isn’t talking. He shut down the restaurant on Sunday, Feb. 24 after business and took items out that night. A “For Lease” sign is now in the window at 4000 E. Bristol St., Elkhart.
The Firehouse served the public cold beer and bar food for 28 years. That’s not easy to do. It’s sad the way it went out, but a new filing on Feb. 28 may, and I reiterate may, point to one of the reasons.
Larry and Midge Houghton filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy protection in the northern Indiana district of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Creditors will meet on March 27 in South Bend, but can make claims prior to that.
“A Chapter 13 bankruptcy “enables individuals with regular income to develop a plan to repay all or part of their debts,” according to information on the U.S. Courts website. Someone filing Chapter 13 proposes to repay their debts over three to five years and offers a chance to save homes from foreclosure. Someone filing must have unsecured debt less than $360,475 and secured debt less than $1.08 million.
why would you put something like this on here? and what kind of company digs into something pretty personal?
Rumors have been rampant about why the restaurant closed. This is a public document that may clear up some of the confusion. The goal isn’t to make the Houghtons look bad. They ran a restaurant for a long time in Elkhart County, which isn’t easy to do.