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Published: Wednesday, Mar. 11, 2009 / Updated: Wednesday, Mar. 11, 2009 11:09 AM

A brief era ends: Fort Mill's Corrigan's closes

New owners to take over on March 17

Dan Corrigan whipped up a two-layer strawberry cake and popped a piece of wheat toast from a white toaster before crumbling hamburger meat into a waiting pot.

"For homemade spaghetti and meat sauce, our Friday special," Corrigan, owner of Corrigan's Cafe said last Friday. "Today's the last time I'm making it. I'm going out with my specialty."

It was business as usual at Corrigan's Cafe even if last Friday was Corrigan's last day cooking up and dishing out meals for the locals.

"I really like this last day thing because you can't fire me," Paula Sparks, Corrigan's trusty helper said, evoking laughter. "I can slack off."

"See the attitude?" Corrigan threw back.

A ready audience listened to the playful banter between the two, part of the charm that made eating at Corrigan's special, locals said. But March 6 marked the last time Corrigan cooked at his restaurant of more than two years.

Corrigan sold his business to Ozzy and Jacy Oliveira. The Charlotte couple plan to reopen the eatery come March 17, Ozzy Oliveira said. Immediate plans do not include altering the existing menu except to add pizza.

Laughter was all Sparks could do to keep from crying six days ago. Not because she won't have a job, but because one of her best friends won't be there anymore.

"It's not going to be the same," Sparks said as her eyes pooled. "It's been the most fun job I've ever had because we cut up all the time."

And moving on won't be easy for Corrigan, who piled two slices of toast atop a saucer and walked it out to a table.

"This is my passion," he said about cooking and serving locals since he opened his business in August 2006. "I've enjoyed it. Leaving will not be easy."

Behind the counter again, Corrigan ices a cake.

"Red velvet," he said oblivious to the eyes that pierced the back of his head. "That's a good farewell cake."

Then he spied Sparks busy at a sink with wet eyes. Steps away, a farewell card for Corrigan sat on the counter, where most of his customers lean in for conversation while making or picking up orders.

"They're not just customers. They're friends," Corrigan said. "The support, laughter and memories will not be forgotten."

And his face showed his sincerity. Then with wet eyes, he quipped, "I'm fine until I look at Paula."

Starting March 9, Corrigan will go from a cooking manager to an account manager in Maryland. Until the end of the school year, he will come home to Fort Mill on the weekends, he said.

Later this month, the eatery will be known as Viny's Pizza & Breakfast. Yet, the sell stunned some loyal Corrigan's customers, including Glenda Isham, who vowed to take a store sign.

"I'll put it up in my home somewhere," she said with a weak smile before leaving for a quick errand. "I''ll have something of Dan's, and I won't cry."

Moments later, Krystal Troxel spotted the farewell card. Troxel and her daughter, Candice Atkinson-Bailey, grabbed grub all the time at Corrigan's.

"If we don't sign this, does this mean you don't go?" Troxel asked before explaining, "They're like our family. We love Paula and Dan."

On cue, Atkinson-Bailey reached in for a hug.

"We hug them bye every day," she explained before she recalled that Sparks took time out to come to Atkinson-Bailey's baby shower with a special handmade blanket. "We're extra special."

The extra touches Corrigan and Sparks provided made Corrigan's departure difficult.

Mike Taylor once sold Corrigan some of the food he sold to his customers.

"He was my first customer," said Taylor, of Charlotte's Sysco. "I've known him the longest out of all my customers."

Corrigan's giving spirit also spoke for his character, Taylor said.

"He'll buy me lunch at times," Taylor recalled. "Sometimes, he doesn't charge me full price."

Even when Taylor insisted. That signature endurance coupled with Corrigan's departure surprised Taylor.

"When me and my wife came in for breakfast and he told us he was selling, I thought he was joking," he said. "I didn't expect him to sell because he has such a great reputation in this town. A lot of people will be hurt with him leaving."

Then Glenda Isham returned with tissue with lotion for Sparks' red rimmed eyes.

"He's a really good friend," Sparks said of Corrigan, whose brother died from cancer in August. "My husband was diagnosed this past April. Dan and I supported each other. He was a big help.

"I just couldn't made it through without him," she said as tears cascaded down her flushed cheeks. "He has truly been there for me. He really worked with me like a friend, not a boss."

Humble to the bone, Corrigan kept working as Isham circled memory lane, setting the stage for one more friendly banner.

"He's back there behind the counter, and he starts singing," she recalled. "We tell him, 'The Lord didn't give you a good voice.' We give him a hard time, but he gives us a rough time, too."