We talked with Melissa Rademacher from the Staples Economic Development Authority about the old Batcher department store in Staples. The Batcher Opera House was built in 1907 and it was one of multiple opera houses built to entertain those stopping in Staples by train. Thousands of people were walking the streets and looking for something to do. Now the community is trying to renovate and revitalize this Opera House that is on the historical registry. See this article from the Brainerd Dispatch