WRITTEN BY CHERYL WELLS
In 2023, Mike and I started a development company called Red Shed Enterprises in Le Mars. The whole purpose was to assist in development in our community, and we call it our repurposing project, not retirement. It is really a big labor of love, and we do love our little town. When Mike was done at Wells’, we began to buy the worst buildings in our downtown with the vision to make them beautiful and help to make spaces where new businesses could be incubated. As well, there are some really cool new downtown lofts and people are loving them. Every article I have written since then has talked about all the new things happening in Le Mars with businesses and the growth plan that was put in place, after many community meetings and allowing people to speak into it.
I have shared about Mark Gaul, and he actually has partnered with me in writing some of the articles from time to time. He was hired by the city as the Community Development Director in 2023. It’s been exciting to also see so many different entities working together and the momentum that has come in two years. The Le Mars Area Betterment Foundation is also doing a big project right now that will improve all of our city parks with 50% of the funds coming from individuals and grants and 50% coming from the city and local option sales tax. It is an $11 million dollar project, and almost all funds are already raised. A bond was just passed also for a brand new grade school that will replace all three of the existing schools that were old and needed more work than it was worth. Our Chamber of Commerce is also going through a big change with a new director and a new plan, as well as the new foundation that will help with community events and tourism called Hometown Le Mars Heritage Foundation, which is in the building right next to the Chamber of Commerce. I wrote about that a couple of months ago in the magazine.
We also have a brand-new community calendar that will be released in 2026 which will make it easy for people to know and be informed about what is going on in Le Mars. It will be used in conjunction with our big sign over Central Avenue, that is now a digital sign. There are so many things coming together and the Browns new theater is also making a huge difference in how many people are in our downtown eating and shopping. I have seen a big uptick in my sales at Habitué Coffeehouse & Bakery, and I know it will help all the downtown stores. Over time, as we continue to grow and get more hotels, it will begin to help the community as a whole also. More people are moving here as housing opens up and all of that will mean more people paying taxes and spending here. It takes the hard work and patience before we see the outcome.
We had some hard things that we had to step into lately and we are thanking God for the outcome in that also. There will be difficulties in these ventures, and we are used to that. Our whole married life has been dealing with hard leadership moments and big things happening in the business that we had to trust and keep working hard, whether it was a recall or the south plant having an ammonia leak and it blew up. When Mike took over as CEO in 2007, it was a mess that looked impossible, but God. Over the years we were trained in how to respond to what others think and say, as well as what they might do. They always told us not to read the comments on the newspaper articles, and for sure on social media. As Christ followers, we were also on the same page that no matter what people might say or how they might treat us, turn the other cheek and continue to walk in love. God has led us in all these things over time and we are so grateful. Most times people speak without fully knowing what they are speaking of and they also can get caught up in it like a runaway train. We don’t expect people to understand the weight of these things and the hard decisions that we have to make from the perspective that we have. Like I said, we are used to that.
There have been some very disheartening things going on with our last election, but we made it through it. We had to evict a family from one of our downtown buildings that we bought because it wasn’t safe, and we had their best interest in mind. The building has to be rebuilt to make it safe, and they found a great place to live. We also had a new business in one of our buildings that didn’t make it and again, these are all firsts for us in this new season. It didn’t end very well, but again, we are trusting that over time, there will be resolution. We trust that all things work together for good, for us and for them. We do live by the truth of scripture that says to praise God in all things. Seemed hard to do at the time, but the lesson is playing out, and I know that is the answer for us.
“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:18.)
