DECATUR - Gregg Meisenhelter once told his wife, Dana, he would own Lock, Stock & Barrel. He might have been joking, but now his longtime ambition has come true.
"I told her back in college that I wanted to own Lock Stock," he said. "I never thought it would come true, but Jim and Kathy made it true for us."
For Dana, the job is already a part of her family. Her mother worked there for 16 years.
The Meisenhelters sat down with former owner Jim Gresham and his wife, Kathy. The two couples spoke to the Herald & Review in the moments before the restaurant opened for another day.
Jim is the owner of the venerable institution, which has operated since 1977. This year, he is passing the reins to younger hands.
"Kathy and I have been talking about it for a while," Jim said. "We're getting to the point where we'd like to spend more time with the grandchildren. We're at that age when we think a lot about that."
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He said he saw passing ownership to the Meisenhelters as an opportunity, though leaving will still mean setting aside part of his life he's gotten used to.
"First and foremost, (I'll miss) the daily routine we had," Gresham said. "We got used to it; we enjoyed it. It didn't seem like work most of the time."
Gresham said he'd also miss the people.
"We got to see a lot of people and had a great staff over the years, all of whom are still with Gregg and Dana," he said. "I still get to see a lot of the customers."
The place has also been a part of their family life, Kathy said.
"We've made a lot of friends here through the years," she said. "It's just been a wonderful fit. Our children grew up in here. We love the community and the area."
For the people who rely on the restaurant for a few drinks after work or a quick lunch near the campus of Millikin University, the changing of hands has thankfully not changed anything about the favorite hangout.
"I like that the owners seem to know our names," said Debbie Campbell, a librarian at Millikin who said she grabs lunch there. "They recognize us."
Jim Gresham continues to work at Lock, Stock & Barrel as he makes the transition to the new owners. Both couples say the process is going smoothly, though Meisenhelter said there's more to learn than he anticipated, but it's still easier than he expected.
"I went into it thinking it was going to be a ton of work, a ton of hours," he said. "It's been easier than I thought. There's still a lot to know, more than I ever thought."
"The transition is going very well," Gresham said. "Kathy and I are extremely pleased with Gregg and Dana. I can only see good things happening. It's good to have a fresh perspective, and yet maintain what we built over the last 30 years."
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