Dan Billheimer owns the Lighthouse Cafe on Sanibel. It's something he's worked toward since he was a teenager.
"I started working at the cafe summers at 14 years old," Billheimer said. "I'd wash dishes. Not very well, but I'd wash them. I really do believe I found my calling."
He was born for this. In fact, it's in his blood. His uncle, Mike Billheimer, owned the cafe for more than 30 years.
"It was just a family thread that was pervasive here," Mike Billheimer said. "Everybody I talk to who comes here for the first time says this reminds me of the old place. It just has a new car smell."
Even though the cafe is now in a new location, that original lighthouse service still shines today.
"People come down here, and they don't want to order on a touch screen and have it sterile," Dan said. "They want old school. They want to pay with cash. They want those relationships."
Mike didn't just pass down the cafe to Dan, but also the family treasures that make the cafe stand out.
"The sign was a gift from my son to me probably 20 years ago," Mike said. "It was just a Christmas gift, and we put it right in front of the cash register. There it sat."
A beloved sign greeted people as soon as they walked into the restaurant until Hurricane Ian washed it away.
"I was able to save next to nothing," Dan said. "I never thought that I'd ever see it again."
But now, thanks to two long-time customers, that piece of the past has finally been found.
"It really wasn't on my radar until Kevin and Lily were walking by," Dan said. "During the course of hurricane cleanup, they have the big trucks and the big claws, and they're pulling massive piles. They grabbed it right before it was clawed. For no other reason than, I guess, he's going to want that back someday. I freaked out. And just like the movies, I went right back there. Right back to those raw, unfiltered feelings."
"I was choked up, to say the least," Mike said. "It wasn't a unique sign. It's something you can probably find online, but it was a gift from my son."
After all, it's not just a sign, but a beacon of hope.
"You can start over," Dan said. "But never forget where you came from."
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