About Us
Bret & Tiffany Maydew
Bret & Tiffany Maydew moved to Tiffany's hometown of Platte in 2008 because they wanted to start a family and raise their kids in the idyllic community. In 2016 they bought Hoffman Drug at 408 Main Street from her mother, Lois Hoffman, who was ready to be a full-time grandma. In 2022 they purchased this building at 406 Main Street. For the first year they used it mostly as it was while making a few improvements and pondering the best use of the space. In August of 2023 the contractor began the process of turning their vision for the building into a reality, and by the spring of 2024 it had been transformed. We hope you enjoy the Venue and the Loft at the historic 406 building on Main Street in Platte, South Dakota.
Bret & Tiffany Maydew
History
The 406 building was first known as the Commercial State Bank in Edgerton, South Dakota. It was built sometime during or shortly after 1885 when that town was established 3 miles south of present-day Platte. In 1900 the site of Platte was designated the western terminus of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad and was platted the same year. Almost immediately buildings were moved from the surrounding prairie villages to Platte. When this building first arrived in Platte it sat on the corner of the block just south at 500 Main Street. In 1906 it was moved to its current location to allow Commercial State Bank to build a new 2 story brick building in its place.
The 406 building has served this community in a variety of ways over the last century. It has been a barber shop, a veterinary office, and a clothing and goods store known as Johnson’s Toggery. This business lasted almost 50 years and the main floor was extended west and a basement was dug under the new addition halfway through its ownership in the 1940’s. After the Toggery it served as a music store, an upholstery shop, and most recently an art gallery. The second story was likely used as a school room in Edgerton as the walls were once lined with chalkboards. After it was moved to Platte, the second story served as an apartment but had been virtually untouched and unoccupied since the 1950s.
We bought the building in 2022 and started the renovation in August of 2023 with the desire to strengthen the building's integrity while maintaining its charm. The rafters over the original structure had been charred by previous fires and almost 140 years of South Dakota weather had taken a toll on the roof and walls, so the second story was removed. A new roof and walls were framed out, and a new floor was built over the sagging original second story floor. The original single pane windows were removed from the main floor storefront, and the front of the building was rebuilt from the sidewalk up. A support beam was installed to give the upper level floor support and rigidity. This is the beam you see in the Venue space. The main level floor was impressively far from level, so it was pulled up, the joists were repaired, and a new floor went down on the new and now level joists. Extra bracing and treated lumber were installed in the crawl space and the original stone foundation was repaired all with the desire to keep the building strong and supported properly for the next 140 years. Once the bones were good, the rest of the renovation process came together well and by spring of 2024 the transformation was complete.
