From physical therapist to home store and coffee shop owner, Jaime England is telling the story behind what motivated her to take on the biggest storefront on Main Street in Manning, Iowa. She also talks about the revival happening in her hometown, where young people are excited to get involved!

The small-town environment gives us a lot of opportunities to be involved in the community. It has given us the opportunity to teach our children that volunteering and taking pride in your community is important. We are invested in the community and we want to help make this a great place to live!

It seems only fitting for a community whose slogan is “it’s refreshing” to embrace the idea of adding an outdoor aquatic center to its already well-developed indoor aquatic facility, and as one who loves the sun, summer, and soaking it all up by the water, I feel compelled to help lead the fundraising efforts.

Manning, Iowa (pop. 1,500) is our featured rural community this week. Manning has been recognized as an Iowa Small Business Administration Community of the Year award, winning out against cities of all sizes, and was highlighted for demonstrating ideal collaborative community efforts to support small business success.