FED owner James Schneider shows off the restaurant to Larry Smith, Dawn Horner, and J. Grant Smith. Photos by Phil Custodio

BY PHIL CUSTODIO
Clarkston News Editor
When the FED Community restaurant at 15 S. Main Street opened its doors for a soft opening, July 6, even those who knew the building best barely recognized it.
“I can’t believe it. It’s absolutely beautiful,” said Dawn M. Horner, retail banking executive vice president for Clarkston State Bank, former occupant. “They did an awesome job. It’s hard to envision where all the offices were. The basement is phenomenal. It’s really beautiful.”
“It really is something. I haven’t seen it since they sold the building,” said J. Grant Smith, president and CEO of Clarkston State Bank. “It looks fantastic. They did a really good job. The old stone walls are great. A lot of work went into it.”
The teller desks, offices and conference rooms of the bank are long gone, replaced with open spaces, high ceilings, skylights, and table settings of the FED, which celebrated its grand opening July 14. The main walk-in bank vault remained, converted into a dining room.
“We’re so happy and excited to be finally here,” said Sarah Schneider, who owns the restaurant with her husband James Schneider.
Sarah redesigned the entire interior.
“We gutted it to the studs,” she said. “Every solitary corner was a labor of love.”
The globally inspired menu includes Asian chicken, double-double cheeseburgers, tortilla soup, and many other ingredient-driven items.