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Greg Filicsky, owner of the former Catlin IGA, stands in front of the building he is renovating that will accommodate three businesses.

Greg Filicsky, owner of the former Catlin IGA, moves the wooden IGA sign that was displayed for years on the exterior of the store.

Greg Filicsky, owner of the Catlin IGA, sweeps the floor in the area where a dance, tumbling and gymnastics studio will operate.

Greg Filicsky, owner of the former Catlin IGA, stands in front of the building he is renovating that will accommodate three businesses.

Greg Filicsky, owner of the former Catlin IGA, moves the wooden IGA sign that was displayed for years on the exterior of the store.

Greg Filicsky, owner of the Catlin IGA, sweeps the floor in the area where a dance, tumbling and gymnastics studio will operate.

CATLIN — The IGA has sat vacant in the middle of Catlin since closing more than five years ago, but in the next few months the building will reopen and return to being the hub of the community.

The 14,000-square-foot building’s transformation in a mere few months is due to the efforts of an area resident who couldn’t help but wonder what he could do to restore the structure so it could once again serve a purpose in the village.

“I saw the potential right away,” Sidell resident Greg Filicsky said of the Catlin mainstay that he bought in mid-November, exactly five years after it closed in November 2016. “The IGA was in Catlin for 52 years. I know how important this building is to the community.

“My kids go to school in the (Salt Fork) school district, and we have an aunt that lives in the community,” he explained as to why he wanted to fix up the building and find a new use for it. “Plus, I’m really good at tearing stuff up. I’ve always worked hands-on jobs.”

The building — which Filicsky is thinking about calling Storm Country Plaza as a nod to Salt Fork’s mascot — will be divided into thirds so it can accommodate three businesses. Two of the three spaces are already spoken for: Vince Chambliss plans to run a youth wrestling program in the east side space, and a dance, tumbling and gymnastics studio will occupy the west side.

“That’s what motivated me to do this; to know that kids will be here and doing something other than being on their phones,” the father of four said.

Filicsky hopes a restaurant will open in the center space where the IGA’s deli once was located.

“There’s going to be dozens of kids here,” he said. “Parents could hang out in the restaurant area while they wait for their kids.”

Some equipment left behind by the IGA, as well as a walk-in cooler, share the same center space, making it convenient for a food service business.

“Habitat for Humanity received quite a bit, like the shopping carts, shelving and pallet jacks,” he said. “Some of the equipment and cabinets were 20 years old or older and weren’t worth saving.”

Filicsky and his wife, Shana, are no strangers to business ownership. The couple owns Dale’s Place in Danville and the Sidell Grocery. He also is the captain of the Sidell Fire Department.

“We own the grocery store in Sidell. It used to be Lucas Grocery,” he said. “He was wanting to retire, so we bought it. We’ve been there 13, 14 years, and we have been successful with it.”

Filicsky admits that reopening the IGA as a grocery store for Catlin did cross his mind.

“Even before I owned the building, I put feelers out for a grocery store but with COVID, there wasn’t much interest,” he said of grocery suppliers.

With some good, old-fashioned elbow grease and help from his friends and local tradespeople, Filicsky is optimistic the plaza will be ready for a grand opening this summer.

“I’ve been lucky there have been no major issues; just a couple roof leaks,” he said. “I have two good people that helped me, and Chuckie Rosnett did the majority of it.”

“They’re all local guys,” he added about the contractors. “I try to keep it local.”

While scraping up three layers of floor tiles last week, Filicsky and his friends unveiled an IGA logo in the original store flooring.

That was one of a few treasures Filicsky has discovered while renovating the building.

He plans to repurpose the large wooden IGA sign that was prominently displayed on the exterior of the store for decades.

“I’m going to epoxy the top of the old IGA sign and make a table out of it and put it in the restaurant,” he said.

In addition, Filicsky is considering how to showcase the unique curved roof, which is now exposed indoors, that is above what will become the dance, tumbling and gymnastics studio on the west side.

“The curved roof is from the 1940s and is original to the IGA Foodliner,” he said.

With the building’s renovation more than halfway complete, Filicsky and other community members are eager to see the structure put to good use.

“Not only as the president of Catlin Bank, but as a resident of Catlin, it’s good to see the building redeveloped,” Catlin Bank President Jeff Fauver said.

Filicsky said he’s noticed a positive transformation lately in the Danville area.

“I’m a lifelong resident of Vermilion County, and I’m seeing Danville and other areas start to turn around, and I want to be a part of that,” he said.

Don passed into his permanent "heavenly home" on Friday 11/26/2021. He fought the good fight with his family, friends, especially his wife RN, and daughter RN, watching over him. His praise service was held 12/1/2021 at Central Christian.

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