People aren’t buying as much gold jewelry as they were in previous decades, according to Marilyn Simonson, owner of Wicker Jewelers. And the rise of online retail companies like Amazon has certainly impacted the number of shoppers at brick and mortar stores. But Wicker, 700 Central Ave., ...

STRATFORD — When Preston and Amber Gable came upon an acreage near Stratford in Hamilton County, they uncovered what would eventually become a dream come true — a barn to use as the center of their business — Back Country Winery. The couple purchased the property in 2014. Although it ...

There is little question that agriculture operates in cycles of “good” and “bad” years. The depressed ag economy of today, the years leading up to it and the fallout happening because of it has caused Rob Jacobs, CEO of Cooperative Farmers Elevator (CFE), to try and help the ...

Joline Reyes has a pretty steady supply chain for the products she sells at New 2 You Second Hand Store. “I’ve got 22 grandkids,” Reyes said from her newly opened store at 1100 Central Ave. in downtown Fort Dodge. “I get a lot of clothes from the grandkids. When they outgrow them, ...

LAKE CITY — When Hugh Sharkey built a new barn around 1904-05 on his farm northeast of Lake City, he probably never imagined it would remain in continuous use for more than 100 years. “The barn was in good shape when my late wife, Jane, and I moved here in the fall of 1977,” said ...