Small City, Big Happenings
COMMUNITY
A diverse group of women-led businesses keeps downtown Galesville humming. BY SHARI HEGLAND | CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS
Front row (from left): Kelly Gardner, Create Happy; Perian Heffner, Coverra Insurance; Traci Stoner, Treasure Chest; Anna Ledebuhr, Coulee Boutique; Sue Kundy, Edward Jones; Tara Herbst-Kopp, Rebel Glass; and Danielle Todd, Flex Appeal Fitness. Back row: Clarissa Andersen, Jungle Juice; Kari Schulz, The Main Fox; Rachel Spitzmacher Perez, Lylli & Ivi Bakery; Mary Knappen, Phoneco; Amy Hembd, Garden of Eatin’; Harmony Bork, Renaissance Breads and Pastries; Angela Kelly, Gales Lanes; Nan Horton, Common Market; Joyce Johnson, Common Market; and Susan Olson, Mike’s Bar & Grill.
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troll around the square in downtown Galesville, and you are sure to notice a few things. First, every space around the square, anchored by the historic bandshell and park in the center, is occupied. Second, the range of businesses on the square and surrounding blocks offers nearly everything someone who lives downtown could need: groceries, dining, clothing, gas, pharmacy services, health care for people and pets, fitness, jewelry, hair care, financial and legal services, gifts and even entertainment with a bowling alley. Finally, if you look more closely, you will find a common denominator among those businesses: Nearly every one is owned or managed by a woman. DOWNTOWN REBIRTH While a few of the businesses in downtown Galesville are rooted decades-deep, like Joyce Johnson’s Common Market, which is beginning its 36th year, many are part of a recent revival that is making the district a growing destination, offering handcrafted jewelry, stained glass, boutique clothing and even a smoothie bar. The owners of those
Joyce Johnson, Common Market
businesses credit another Galesville business veteran and mentor, Traci Stoner, and her husband as a driving force behind the area’s revival in recent years. Stoner’s Treasure Chest Gifts has been an anchor on the southern corner of the square for 18 years. www.crwmagazine.com APRIL/MAY 2022 31
