NASHVILLE, Tenn (WTVF) — As the first week of 2025 unfolds, Ericka Fizer is already filled with a renewed sense of optimism. After surviving a difficult 2024, Fizer believes this year holds the promise of brighter days ahead.
“It was a horrible year for a lot, me included,” she said. “But I actually wrote in my journal that this is the worst year of my life, but it’s going to end up being the best. And it did, within the last day of the year.”
Fizer owns Roasted Salemtown, a restaurant known for its vibrant atmosphere and brunch menu.
She has always dreamed of expanding her business into a larger space. However, her journey toward this goal has been anything but easy.
“I’m trying to embrace that, because I do have PTSD from that,” Fizer said. “Loud noises still get me, and a lot of things get me. I’m noticing some things and I’m trying to figure out why. And I’m like, you did just get shot, you know? So, processing it sometimes, I have to remind myself, because I don’t want to be a victim.”
Fizer’s resilience is fueled by her desire to be a survivor, not a victim.
On Easter Sunday 2024, an altercation inside Roasted Salemtown escalated into violence. Metro Police reported that one person was fatally shot, while Fizer and six others were injured. The traumatic event forced her to close the restaurant she had worked tirelessly to build over the course of two years.
But, as the saying goes, when one door closes, another opens.
“Double for my trouble, is really what I’ve been rewarded. And that’s because I stayed true to my dream,” Fizer said, reflecting on her comeback.
Six months after the shooting, Fizer opened a to-go-only location at Midtown Foods, allowing her to keep her business alive in some form. Then, just a month later, she partnered with Demonbreun Street Bar Flavors 90, bringing Roasted Salemtown back to the public in a new way.
For Fizer, this comeback wasn’t just for her—it was also for her dedicated staff, who had stood by her through the toughest of times.
“Understand that there’s always a negative and a positive. There’s always good and bad. It’s always going to be there,” she said. “The key is to keep going, no matter what.”
Ericka Fizer’s journey is a powerful reminder that no matter how difficult the path may seem, determination can pave the way to recovery and success.
As she looks forward to 2025, she hopes her story will inspire others facing their own hardships to keep pushing forward.
Fizer says, for now, the Demonbreun Street is not taking online or to-go-orders. However, you can order to go or online at Midtown Foods which will remain open during business hours.
Roasted on Demonbreun Street is open Wednesday through Sunday and late hours on Friday and Saturday.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at kelsey.gibbs@newschannel5.com.
This story by Aaron Cantrell reminds me of my first school in Dyersburg, TN. I was a student at Bruce School from Kindergarten to second grade until the school system was integrated. My parents graduated from this K-12 school in 1960 in one of the city's African American communities. After sitting empty for several years, part of the school was demolished while the rest was renovated and now serves as a community center for the Bruce community in Dyersburg. A local pastor is now trying to do something similar in the Cemetery community in Rutherford Co.
-Lelan Statom
