In the 1940s, before expressways were built, today's Holland-Sylvania Road and Main Street were heavily traveled roads, serving as the main route through our community, and serving as part of State Route No. 333, which connected to State Route 20 and 120. Travelers needed to stop for gasoline and for a hot meal while traveling. That is why in 1946 Victor Pertot, an Austrian-born World War I veteran, began renting the Thorp home, just to the south of where the Village Inn building is today, and opened a restaurant. The home was owned by Andy Thorp and he and his family had been operating Thorp Gas & Oil here for a number of years. By 1947, Mr. Pertot's business was so successful that he built a separate building to the north and announced the grand opening of his new quarters. That was the beginning of a successful business here for the next 73 years.