Truck drives into Treasure Trove

A vehicle crashed through the front window of a downtown Red Wing furniture store late Tuesday morning.

Chris Aamodt, who owns the Treasure Trove, 203 Plum St., said he had been in the shop just after 11 a.m. when he heard something like “a bomb” go off.

“I was looking the other way and just heard a big bang,” Aamodt said. “The whole thing kind of shook.”

The startling noise was the sound of glass shattering after a white GMC pickup truck driven by a Plum City man crashed into one of the building’s front windows.

William Klopf, 37, was driving north on Plum Street when he noticed his brakes failing, the Red Wing Police Department reported.

“In order to avoid the other motorists he kind of cruised up on the sidewalk and came to rest against a city light pole and a building,” responding officer Chad Steffen said, adding that Klopf was aware of problems with his truck. “He said he added some brake fluid to the vehicle because he knew there were some brake issues, and apparently that didn’t work.”

Klopf was cited for inadequate brakes. He sustained no injuries from the incident.

Aamodt, too, remained uninjured despite being just a few feet away from the window at the time of the crash.

Shortly after Klopf’s vehicle was towed away, Aamodt began cleaning up the damage. He already had contacted a local glass company to do the repairs. In the meantime, he said the window would be boarded up.

Merchandise that was in the window at the time of the crash didn’t seem to be damaged, Aamodt said. However, he added that he hadn’t been able to fully inspect a light fixture that had been hanging near the crash site.

“I’m more concerned about the $16,000 light,” he said.

Aamodt relocated the furniture store to the Plum Street location from its former Old West Main Street site about two months ago.

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