Sign of the times

FINDLAY — A new exhibit at the Hancock Historical Museum makes it hard to remember that this isn't 1975 and you're not sitting on a chrome and red vinyl swivel stool, waiting for a piece of pie. The display pays tribute to Miller's Luncheonette. Located at 203 N. Main St., the diner became a landmark over the years, appeasing hungry patrons from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. six days a week. A flashing neon EAT sign hanging outside the restaurant promised favorites like roast beef Manhattans, chef salads and hamburgers. "I've heard a lot of different memories, different ages of people. They have different memories of going to Miller's," said museum Curator Joy Bennett. "Whether they went as a kid or that was just the spot that they went every day for lunch. Everybody went there. Everybody loved it, and everyone felt welcome." Miller's had survived five floods and a fire by its 50th anniversary in 1999. But it was another historic flood in 2007 that ultimately forced then owner Greg Miller to close. After so many years, the neon sign out front stopped flashing and was taken down. It was donated to the museum, where it has been displayed ever since in the exhibit center. "When I started working at the museum, there was a small Miller's exhibit," Bennett recalled. But the display case it was attached to was old and broken. "I got rid of it when we did some rearranging because I was trying to update and have things that worked that we didn't have to try and fix all the time," she explained. So that Miller's Luncheonette exhibit came down. "A new display is something I've wanted to do for a while, and I wanted to do it well," said Bennett. "But the sign was still there. The sign was going nowhere." Brothers Wilbur and Bob Miller opened the doors of the new diner on July 13, 1949. "People tell me about the beef Manhattan and the Miller's chef salad. Those are the two things I've heard about, and now I'm intrigued," said Bennett. "And I loved people talking about how you could walk in and you'd have blue collar workers sitting right next to office workers and people from Marathon, executives." Bob left after six months to operate another restaurant, Miller Kitchenette, until his death in 1976. Wilbur carried on, helped by his wife, Louise, who until her husband's death in 1992, worked there almost daily for years afterward. Their son, Greg Miller, worked part time from age 14 on, then full time after his 1974 graduation from Findlay High School. He inherited the restaurant which survived several floods and a fire. But it was flood of 2007 that spewed muddy Blanchard River water into the diner and heavily damaged the interior that caused its demise. Bennett said the museum received a large donation of the plates, menus and photos at the same time as the sign. Other items have been acquired over the years like the original stools. "Someone had them in their bar basement and they were moving. And they didn't want to move with them, but they didn't want to leave them in the house because they figured a new person may not appreciate them, so they donated them," she said. The exhibit includes wall décor, signage and the San-A-Pure ice cream back bar. Bennett's favorite piece is the milk shake machine. "I really love the milk shake maker machine," she said. "It is so mid-century. It's that 1950s blue. I love that it's colored, it's heavy and it is from Miller's." Greg Miller had talked about relocating the diner on higher grounds. But he became ill and died in December 2009. The business had been such a presence in downtown Findlay, Bennett wanted to tell its story. "I had a vision in my head that I wanted someone who had skills to build me basically a counter," she said. The museum finally connected with Jason Wagner, an art educator for the Findlay City Schools. Wagner talked to Kevin Sheidler at Millstream Career Center to see if students in the construction program would be interested in taking on the project. "Once we talked to Jason, he was so excited because he remembered going to Miller's as a kid, I think he said after Little League games his coach would take them there. So he had a lot of memories of Miller's," said Bennett. Most of the building was done prior to the end of the school year. "They built this amazing exhibit," she said. The display includes a replica of the counter, information about its history and artifacts from the popular local eatery. Jeff and Diana Salisbury funded the exhibit. Bennett said Jeff was good friends with the Miller family. "I guess he would just go get his own coffee and they'd go in the backdoor. It was like he was like one of the family," she said. The exhibit was officially unveiled in May during a special event that welcomed Miller family and friends, former employees and Millstream students and faculty. "They just had a great time remembering. Everyone was so happy, and they were able to relive so many memories," Bennett said. A woman brought in an apron from her time as a waitress at Miller's Luncheonette. "The sign has always drawn attention, and I think it draws even more because there's something to see," said Bennett. "I knew everyone loved Miller's based off of comments about the sign, but I didn't realize how important it was to so many people. So that was really nice to be able to bring that back for some people." Bennett doubts that the exhibit will ever move or be changed much. "It's very iconic," she said. "It's a little sad that it's not still on North Main Street, but I'm glad we have it here."