By Quinn O’Hara

Photo by Quinn O’Hara

Erin Glavan, who owns and operates the Happy Hippie smoothie bar in Clay Center, has been awarded $185,000 in grant money to assist in repair costs for the over 100-year-old building.

Last summer, Glavan said several structural issues with the building were discovered after work began to repair the facade of her storefront. Those issues warranted several repairs with price estimates reaching into the hundreds of thousands.

With the help of Grow Clay County’s Natalie Muruato, who wrote the grants, and Andrew Askew of Andrew Askew Construction, Glavan was able to secure $85,000 in Emergency HEAL funds from the Kansas Department of Commerce and $100,000 from the Heritage Trust Fund to help cover the repair costs. Glavan said that those funds have now made the repairs possible.

With the $185,000 secured, she said she feels as though a huge weight has been lifted off her shoulders.