Our Story

Hi! Ellie here, owner of HomeGrown. We have been working so hard on this project for so long and are excited to be so close to delivering it to you. It has quite a rich history, much like the building itself, and we wanted to take some time to share that with you.

This project started in 2020, building The Well on Main Home to Eating, Elevated., Complete Chiropractic, owned by Dr. John Arns, and Sage Leaf Salon, owned by Brittany Hackenmueller. In our initial vision for a one-stop holistic health oasis, my husband Drew and I wanted a juice bar in the space. To make a long story short, we worked with a contractor and designer to outfit the last remaining suite with "JUICED, Superfood Cafe." We had just finalized things when I felt the Holy Spirit tug at me. We needed to outfit that 1000 sq. ft with my other business already in Eating, Elevated space. (EE) we were growing fast and could make our space intentional with that suit. So, with redirection, we changed that and had to put Juiced aside for a short time.

During this time, we were also looking to expand EE further northward. We were spending quite a bit of time in St. Joe, MN. I was so inspired by the reality that within that town, brought to life by Shannon Wiger, she took many old buildings and made them new again, just like the house that EE- Saint Joe is now in. We were inspired and saw what a gift to the town it was to create something new from the old. 

Upon getting home from Saint Joe one day, feeling inspired, I walked through The Well and looked out the front window across the intersection of 241 and 19. The property across the road caught my eye in a new light, and I felt that fire of the Holy Spirit saying, "That's it."

That's where Juiced needs to go.

The Bigger Picture

Now, this property was not for sale. Still, we knew the former owners, as their daughters are some of my best friends, so I put out a text to Kerry and Kathy Jo, asking for their prayers and blessings, and put out an email to the city to set up a meeting to see how we can procure that 100 Main Street property for this project. 

I had to present to the EDA, then the Planning and Zoning Commission, and finally, the city council to get a purchase agreement. This agreement was to buy One L-shaped parcel with the property on it. As we started to involve structural engineers to assess the building and see if saving it was worth it, we were told that this was not an option with the parking codes and odd layout of the lots. We would have to move forward with a new rendering for new construction. 

This felt like a massive letdown for our vision. I didn't understand this then, but I see how perfectly God's hand has been in the *timing* of this project. 

I knew I had to keep moving forward because I had the RIGHT team for this project. The Lord has blessed me with a fantastic chef whom we met through Kerry and Kathy Jo, and she has a colossal faith and trust in the Lord's timing. For them, where we felt the Lord leading us, we needed to keep moving forward.

While this property was used for commercial uses in the past, it was zoned multifamily at the time of our initial interest. The city supported our idea unanimously, but we still had to hold a public hearing. At that time, a neighbor expressed frustration with the change. We had to change the site plan to create an easement with the two lots to the south that the city would eventually purchase from the county. 

The next part of this process unfolded with STRONG promptings of the Holy Spirit, as nothing about the second site plan "felt" right. It felt yucky to "plan" (not even necessarily for us since we had not planned to purchase those two lots) a layout that included the potential for a commercial building next to a residential home. Still, from the hearing, we needed to find an alternative location for the trash. We needed to think longer, see the bigger picture, and consider who could move in next door. At the same time we were "working" on that second site plan, we received our bid back for our 3000 sf building... It was significantly more expensive than we anticipated for the project to go wrong.

We felt a check in our spirit at this point and took it all to prayer:

"Lord, why would you lead us here to feel this way."

At this moment, I started a very specific Novena (nine-day prayer with a particular intention) to the Holy Spirit; I asked him to make it clear for us and this project: What did The Lord want from us? What is this project supposed to be? Do we need to let it go? And If we don't, show us how to make it work and make it right. 

And something unique happened…

He Will Provide

On the 8th day of that Novna, as I drove by the building home from work, the Lord poured the words into my heart: "YOU NEED TO KEEP IT."

I got home, I told Drew, called the city, and asked if we could purchase all four lots as we had lightly discussed in that second site plan. 

With that, I asked if we could keep the current building and renovate it as we desired. If we could build the commercial building NOT next to someone's home, but instead along that busy intersection to act as a buffer and to fill with other local businesses to create an authentic, hometown, walkable experience for our community. 

THIS felt peaceful. This felt right, albeit overwhelming.

The renderings are STUNNING. This restaurant and the future building will continue to be a centerpoint of this town. With new life breathed into it. 

This shift allows us to make this project what it needs to be for our town, how we can keep the neighbors feeling peaceful and looped into what we want to do and create in this space. It allows us down the road to dreams for other tenants come to fruition!

During this time of unfolding changes, we were able to share with Kerry and Kathy Jo that we could save the building before he passed away in October of 2022. And we will be lovingly named Kerry's Corner to honor his role in the history of this project and our lives.

We are so excited and thankful to have you here. These projects are so close to our hearts. We love my town; we love the people in it. We want health, wellness, and vitality for my staff members. I want them to put their home life FIRST. I want to pay them good wages for the work they put in. I want to pour into them and bring Christ back into the workplace. I know He calls me to this, so I also trust that He will provide.