Fire teaches local man to believe again

Published 12:00 am Saturday, June 3, 2006

As Vic Hopper stands in the middle of the shop, that tragic day in May 2005 seems a world away.

It was in that month that Vic’s Bait and Tackle, a local landmark and Hopper’s livelihood, was claimed by a fire, which makes the fact that May 4 is just a year and a week in the past that much more striking.

Without any insurance or income from his shop, relying on just the generosity of friends and strangers, Vic’s Bait and Tackle is back on its feet, a fact that no one is surprised more by than its owner.

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“People wouldn’t let me quit,” Hopper said with a warm laugh.

Local artist Daniel Hartwig spearheaded the effort, which he called “Helping Hearts for Vic Hopper”, calling friends and asking customers for donations. In the end, his persistence was rewarded with more than $10,000 that Hopper wasted no time in putting towards a new and improved shop.

“We started building, we didn’t know how we were going to do it or anything,” Hopper said. “But when we needed it, it came.”

The list of donors actually begins on that warm May night that Hopper’s business was engulfed in flames. As he and wife Doris sat watching the business burn, a man walked to Hopper and simply handed him a $5 bill.

“He says, ‘Here’s $5, if that’ll help you get started,’” Hopper said. “He didn’t have a job, that was every penny he had. I said ‘That’s all you’ve got, buddy,’ and he just said ‘I want you to have that, and I want you to start again.’”

Hopper is full of similar stories. He recalls running out of nails at just the moment a neighbor offered a bucketful and hammer to drive them in.

“I said ‘Thank you, Lord, for the nails.’” Hopper said. “That guy didn’t know I was out … the Lord sent him. The Lord does many good things.”

He recounts this story, and many others of generosity in front of wooden heart that Hartwig crafted from driftwood. As one looks at the board that glistens with gold plates listing names who donated to the shop, it’s difficult to argue with Hopper’s stand on the Lord’s generosity … or that of his fellow man.

“I was kind of depressed before the fire … I had lost a lot of confidence in people,” Hopper said. “But when that thing hit … you wouldn’t believe people. They sent money from everywhere. The greatest thing that I learned? There’s good people left in this world.”