Early morning fire destroys Banks County landmark, community rallies support

Fire guts Homer?s Tiny Town, locals rally to rebuild

A pre-dawn fire destroyed the Tiny Town Restaurant in Homer, the only community gathering spot in the old Banks County quarry town. Owner Sherrie McQueen, who worked her way up from waitress to owner, lost her uninsured business and sole source of income. Locals say the restaurant had served generations since 1941. A fundraiser is now underway to help her rebuild.

BANKS COUNTY, Ga. - A fire ripped through a fixture in one small Banks County community Monday morning, leaving the building destroyed and the community devastated.

Firefighters responded to Tiny Town Restaurant on Historic Homer Highway in Homer early Monday morning.

What we know:

Firefighters with Banks County Fire and the Homer Fire Department responded to the restaurant after 1 a.m. Monday morning. 

Fire marshals have not ruled on the cause of the blaze, according to local news outlet Now Habersham. 

Owner Sherrie McQueen said she believes it started near some electrical wiring, and the flames spread quickly through the old building.

"It was just wood through and through," McQueen said. "And when it lit up, it was gone."

The backstory:

For generations, it was considered a staple in the rural Banks County community. 

Homer locals said it was the only place in the town where they could sit, eat, and have a conversation. 

"It meant a lot to this community because it was a gathering place for us," Todd Boring, a restaurant regular, said. "People have brought their children here for 75 years to eat, you know, like generations have come in and out of this place."

Boring said the restaurant had been in the community since 1941, changing hands through various owners over the years.

Among its longtime regulars was the chairman of the county.

"It's a good place to stay in touch with the community, because you don't get all that at the county building," Banks County Chairman Taylor Griffith said. "So you can come here and kind of get unfiltered ideas."

What they're saying:

McQueen, who owned the restaurant, also worked as the waitress and cashier.

She bought the business about five years ago after working her way up through the ranks. 

"It's like a horrible nightmare. My whole life just got turned upside down," McQueen said. "I worked my way from the day I was a waitress. When I first started here, I worked my way from the very bottom into being able to buy it."

Boring said the fire left McQueen without her business and her community.

"She's lost everything," Boring said. "Not only did she lose her family, which is all of us, but she lost her only income that she has. She has an autistic daughter that she takes care of by herself."

McQueen said the business was not insured. 

What you can do:

Community members have launched a fundraiser on GoFundMe to help McQueen stay afloat: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-sherrie-and-team-after-tiny-town-fire

Their long-term goal is to reopen Tiny Town Restaurant, possibly at a vacant building next door, though it would require work.

"We want to help her out as much as we can," Boring said.