FIRTH — U.S. Senator Jim Risch, senior member and former chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, has selected Collet’s Pub in Firth as the Idaho Small Business of the Month for January 2024.

Each month for several years, Sen. Risch has selected for recognition at least one Idaho small business that he believes “exemplifies the Idaho values of hard work, entrepreneurial spirit and exceptional commitment to community.”

Collet’s, located at 132 Main St. in Firth, is the small town of Firth’s only restaurant. The eatery has been open since 1930 and had gone through multiple generations of the Collet family before it shut down for two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new owners, Holly and Brian Johnson, reopened the pub in September 2022.

The Johnsons said the building was quite damaged when they bought it, but they have since been able to revive the establishment with cleaning and repairs — all while maintaining the restaurant’s original charm.

Holly said “to get this recognition from Senator Risch has been such an unexpected honor, especially since we opened as a restaurant so families can come and enjoy the food and games together.”

Holly called getting Collet’s reopened “such a labor of love.”

“We grew up here, our parents grew up here and Collet’s has been here since 1930. People come in and it’s a walk back in time,” she said. “We get to hear so many stories of when they were young or how their parents met here, and it’s so heartwarming. The community has been so supportive.”

For its contribution to the Eastern Idaho community, Collet’s will be recognized in the Congressional Record of the U.S. Senate, Risch said in a news release.

Collet’s now joins the dozens of other Idaho small businesses, like Cox’s Honey in Shelley, Great Harvest in Idaho Falls, Sandpiper Restaurant in Pocatello, TLC for Tots in Nampa and Mountain Madness Soap in Coeur d’Alene, that Risch has selected for this recognition over the years.

“Since Prohibition, Collet’s Pub has been a gathering place for Eastern Idaho,” Risch said. “With its notable teal sign, Firth’s only dining establishment continues to entertain customers of all ages with good food, burgers and karaoke. Owners Holly and Brian Johnson brought Collet’s back to life after much needed repairs, while maintaining original engravings etched into the bar by the former owner.”