CALEDONIA — L and L Farms and Greenhouse in Caledonia is open for the season — even as recovery from an April 17 storm continues.
"You can't be in shock for long," said owner Lance Malicki. "You gotta keep going."
High winds severely damaged the property, ripping the roof and doors from a pole barn, destroying a greenhouse and the plants inside, toppling a tree onto the house, and damaged two horse enclosures.
"A lot of chaos," Malicki said about the storm's aftermath at 8538 Wisconsin 38.
Malicki said early appraisals estimate the damage exceeds $200,000.
"It's over 200,000, maybe better than that," Malicki said.
In the days following the storm, family, friends, customers, and even strangers showed up to help with cleanup.
"People just out of the blue, they just come and, they just don't even introduce themselves, they just start helping," Lois Malicki, Lance's mother, told TMJ4's Marcus Aarsvold on April 18 following the storm.
"They did good," Lance Malicki said. "We saved what we could save."
Lance's granddaughter, Hannah Malicki, was also part of the cleanup.
"A lot of people came and helped, and they all just came together," Hannah Malicki said.
For Lance, pushing through the setback carries a deeper purpose — one tied directly to Hannah and his other granddaughters.
"I want to have a legacy for my granddaughters," Malicki said. "That's my goal, that they take this over."
Hannah Malicki, a sixth grader who is at the property nearly every day, said she hopes to continue working there as she grows up.
"Definitely," Hannah Malicki said.
While cleanup is still ongoing, opening for the season is one step forward.
"Everybody experiences something, and they come back from it," Malicki said.
And he has bigger plans ahead.
"If things work out, I'll be back next spring bigger than ever, so that's my plan," Malicki said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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