By Kyra Price, UW Stout Harvey News Service
The downtown Menomonie gift shop LaDeeDah is now under new ownership. Em Menz and husband Jon Menz bought the shop from previous owner, Karen Hurtgen after they saw her post on Facebook about being ready to move on. “Losing a storefront in a small town is bad,” said Em. They wanted to make sure this store remained on Main Street. Jon said he was part of the Menomonie Chamber of Commerce for over 10 years. “I’m a big pusher for community development,” he said. They said they hope to encourage shopping local and to support historic downtown. One of their goals is to help everyone who comes in their store find something unique by connecting with customers. “We love people. We love talking to people,” Em said. LaDeeDah sells clay ceramics, stained glass items, and other artisan, sustainable goods. Em and Jon said they hope to continue to give creators a space to sell their products and buyers a chance to buy.
“There are things made from people who have lived here a long time. One-of-a-kind things,” Jon said. Em agreed and said she does not want duplicate products people can find in other shops. While they have only been open under their ownership for a short time, Em said they have already received an emotional response from the community. She said locals have thanked her for keeping the shop open. Em said she was moved that so many people showed up to the grand opening ribbon cutting. They said they plan to continue to buy from artist and vendors who are local and long-lived contributors, including local artist Halle Buhr who creates clay jewelry. “I want everyone to succeed and thrive,” Em said. LaDeeDah is located at 311 Main St. E in Menomonie Wisconsin.
