Sunny's Bar, established in 1890 in Red Hook, Brooklyn, has emerged as a remarkable comeback story after facing destruction from Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The community raised $100,000 to help revive the bar, following owner Sunny Balzano's death in 2016. His widow, Tone Johansen, faced a legal battle against 18 heirs wishing to sell the property but ultimately secured ownership by buying them out for $2.8 million, aided by community fundraising efforts. Johansen attributes her resilience to her childhood background and problem-solving skills learned through necessity.
"There's something about the way I grew up - very simple and very hands-on. I call that having practical intelligence... I have very much a do-it-yourself attitude and a lot of problem-solving skills from the way that I grew up."
"[The lawsuit] was quite the marathon. If you want to do something at this level of difficulty, at some point you have to put all your chips on the table - like, all of them."
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