(WXYZ) — After nearly 60 years, Lile’s Ham Shop in Dearborn is closing its doors, and the owner, Harry Lile, and staff are bidding farewell to loyal customers.
“I started at Ford in June ‘69 and one of the guys said, 'you got to go get a ham sandwich,' so this is where we came in. We’ve been doing that forever,” said longtime customer Rory Carpenter.
For most of its history and for most of its longtime customers, Lile’s has been the kind of place that slowly worked into people’s lives.
“I’m from a small town, so it feels like going home,” said another customer sitting at the counter.
Opening in 1965 on Michigan Avenue, Harry Lile's dad, Jim, took a simple idea, “You get good quality ham, corn beef, rolls and so on,” said Lile.
For nearly 60 years, ham and hospitality have made this little spot in Dearborn a local favorite.
“We have been coming here for about 15 years. Lotta good memories but again, I have to go back to the food, the food's fantastic,” said longtime customer Mike Massey.
For the last three decades, Harry Lile has continued to run the restaurant, continuing the tradition of placing an extra piece of ham on top the sandwich and personally hand carving each sandwich to order.
“Once you cut the bun, it’s a little wobbly, the ham slice put right on top stabilizes the sandwich. It’s like a little gimmick too, you know. People remember it,” said Lile.
But now thousands of sandwiches later, Harry Lile is calling it quits closing the Dearborn landmark and heading into retirement.
“It was a good run, it provided well for my family. Time to go,” said Lile. It’s a beginning and an end.”
It takes a long time for a restaurant to turn into a landmark and an even longer time for a customer to become a friend.
“I don’t want to say goodbye, but it’s gonna happen next month. Hate to see him go,” said a regular customer sitting at the counter.
“It’s the people, it’s the camaraderie,” said server Kim Ruffino.
"It is interesting, it’s different. You’re not gonna find a sandwich shop like this anywhere else in the metro area,” said another customer.
Lile said he thought long and hard about selling the business, but in the end, ending the legacy with him just felt right.
“We started it and we’re gonna finish it,” said Lile. “Well, it is something we started and something I wanted to see to the end. I want to be the one to lock the door.”
“All right my friend, thank you,” Lile says to one customer walking out the door.
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