Sig’s Grill is gearing up for its grand reopening, and it will continue to follow its decades-old recipe for success.
The long-standing Stonewall eatery is slated to reopen this month after undergoing extensive renovations.
Owner Nicole Palsson and her husband Chad bought the building about a year ago. Last May, a Main Street fire spread to two nearby buildings. Firefighters had to pry open the door at Sig’s Grill at 332 Main St., but they managed to keep the fire out of that building.
Since then, the new owners have addressed some structural issues while also updating esthetics, all while maintaining the old-time ambiance.
“We did a whole new front. It still looks like Sig’s but with new paint, new flooring, new equipment in the kitchen,” she said. “We’ve got the exact same menu too.”
Some of the Sig’s staff will be returning, so diners can look forward to familiar faces. In addition, the Palsson family’s four kids, who range in age from 14 to 20, will be ready to lend a hand. They’ve lived in Stonewall for the past eight years, so they know that Sig’s is a mainstay in the community.
“I’ve been a stay-at-home mom with the kids, so this is something new for me and very exciting. We’re looking forward to it,” Palsson said.
“We’re going to keep it the same Sig’s with the same vibe. It definitely always feels like a little family in there.”
That family feel began nearly 40 years ago with brother-and-sister duo Miles and Melanie Sigurdson, who bought the restaurant in 1986. They created a unique ambiance with swivel chairs, milkshakes in metal cups and a menu known for its breakfast, burgers and soups. In about 1992, Melanie moved to Alberta so Miles continued to run the restaurant with his wife Tracy. All three of their sons — Scott, Brad and Thor — worked at the restaurant over the years.
In addition, Miles’ sister-in-law Kim Meyers has worked at the restaurant for decades — and she’ll continue to work there after it reopens.
In 2017, the Sigurdsons sold the restaurant to Peter (Yong Rok) Janj. Janj moved to Canada from South Korea, where he worked for an electronics company for 20 years before attending an academy to learn how to cook. Janj sold the building to the Palssons last year.
But the eye-catching building’s history began long before it became Sig’s Grill.
Catherine Precourt of the Stonewall Heritage Committee pieced together some of the building’s history through newspaper obituaries, articles and ads. She also referred to the book Stonewall: Turning a Century, which was published in the 1970s.
Through her research, along with information provided by another heritage committee member, she discovered that a baker named E.A. Shave lived in Stonewall in the early 1900s. Then in 1906, Harry Druitt arrived in Stonewall from England. For a short time, he operated a livery stable before entering the bakery business.
In 1911, Shave and Druitt teamed up to operate the Stonewall Bakery. By 1917, Druitt advertised himself as a baker and confectioner, with no mention of Shave.
When Druitt’s wife died in 1920, it seems that he left Stonewall to operate a bakery in Teulon for a while. During that time, George LeQuesne operated the Stonewall Bakery, which ads referred to as the “original stand.”
In the fall of 1932, Druitt returned to Stonewall and ads referred to him being “back home again at the old stand.” Throughout the 1930s, Druitt’s Bakery delivered baked goods with a horse-drawn cart.
In June 1942, Druitt’s Bakery became Scott’s Bakery. Four years later, Hep and Mabel Riley bought the business. Hep died in 1962, and the following year, Mabel sold the business to her brother and sister-in-law, Al and Vade Lillies. Mabel continued to work at the bakery until she retired in 1978.
In 1979, Al and Vade Lillies sold the business to Frank and Audrey Stanley, and it was known at the time as the Stonewall Bakery and Coffee Shop.
Frank and Audrey Stanley took over the bakery in 1979 and renamed it the Stonewall Bakery and Coffee Shop
Around 1982, Diane and Ken Molter bought the business.
In April 1984, a fire in two back rooms on the lower floor caused about $30,000 in damage. The same year, Ray Kellett opened Ray’s Place in the building.
And by December 1985, it was a Chinese restaurant known as the Jade Court Restaurant.
Soon after, the Sigurdsons bought the building in 1986 and began to operate Sig’s Grill.
“It’s always been a food establishment,” said Palsson, reflecting on more than a century of history. “We’re looking forward to carrying on the tradition.”
And the name “Sig’s Grill” still rings true for the new owners, who have their own family connections to the restaurant’s name.
“When it comes to the name, we never thought to change it because Sig is actually part of my husband’s side of the family,” Palsson said.
“They are an Icelandic family, and his grandfather’s name was Sigurdur. For short, they would call him Sig or Siggi. Chad’s mom Sigrid is named after him — and so are Chad and our son Cash, whose middle names are both Sigurdur. So the name Sig’s Grill works perfectly for our family too.”
