GLENVILLE -&160;Nicole Stromley came home when she accepted the job as manager of The Office, a restaurant and bar in Glenville.

Thursday, March 28, 2002

GLENVILLE -&160;Nicole Stromley came home when she accepted the job as manager of The Office, a restaurant and bar in Glenville.

Her parents, Vance and Linda Mickelson, have owned the business since 1980, when Stromley was just over a year old. Now, as manager, she’ll be in charge and will literally live in the building with her husband Nate, in an apartment out back.

Before coming back to Glenville, Stromley wasn’t living all that far away – only in Twin Lakes – and she worked as a supervisor of the grounds crew at the Albert Lea Country Club. She had worked as a waitress at The Office when she was younger, but had moved on to other jobs after graduating from college.

After the May 1 tornado wrecked the building last year, she came back into the business when her parents decided to not only rebuild, but also to expand it to include a full-service restaurant for the first time.

&uot;I’m looking forward to it. It will be a whole new experience having a full-service restaurant,&uot; Stromley said.

&uot;I enjoy working with people and I like being on the business side of things,&uot; she added. She remembers watching her father do his bookkeeping work when she was younger.

As part of the expansion plan, the family bought the lot next door, where the Knutson Oil office had been located, and built a new restaurant wing on that site. A handicapped-accessible ramp and bathrooms connect the two structures. Having a dining area which seats 70 and a full kitchen means that The Office will be able to serve breakfast, lunch and supper as well as hold banquets. Three groups already scheduled banquets for later this year, even before the doors opened, said Stromley.

Preparing to reopen has taken a lot of effort and patience, said Stromley. Whenever she’s out in the community or up in Albert Lea, people are always asking &uot;When are you opening?&uot; Stromley said. It’s hard for her when she doesn’t have a definite answer.

&uot;It’s been hard having to tell them that I do not know,&uot; she said. &uot;We have to follow the rules.&uot;

They anticipate reopening soon – as soon as Friday – but are still waiting for some additional equipment before the building inspectors will give their final approval.

Stromley is looking forward to the way the restaurant will expand the ways they can serve customers, and hopes to draw in more people from out of town, as well as serve the local crowd. She also hopes her age and experience will be an asset.

&uot;I tend to go out a lot, to other places, and can see some of the trends that bring younger people in,&uot; she said.

The Office will be serving breakfast on Monday through Friday from 7 to 10 a.m., lunch from 10 a.m. to noon, and supper from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. On Fridays and Saturdays, the restaurant side will stay open until 10 p.m. There will be daily lunch and supper specials.

The bar will be open from 2 p.m. until 1 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays, and from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. In the future they may start having DJs and karaoke nights. They will be closed Sundays.