Welcome to the second Nspire Today! weekly business column, featuring good news, profiles on employees, interesting stats, information about sales and special promotions, and other fun tidbits from businesses in the area.
As a bonus, readers can be entered to win several prizes, including local restaurant gift cards, just by sharing this Facebook post!
The winners for sharing last week’s post are Wendy Kindler ($10 Prime Cut gift certificate); Sandra Lutz ($5 Mixing Bowl gift card); and Jennifer Bohnsack ($5 Taco Johns gift card). Please send an email to jeff.fielder@nspiretoday.com to claim your prize.
A number of local businesses will be having their holiday open houses in the next few weeks, including Lynne Morgan, a women’s clothing and accessories store in downtown Scottsbluff.
Lynne Morgan’s Holiday Open House is set for Thursday, Nov. 21, from 4-7 p.m. Their open house will feature special sales, refreshments, and a drawing in which customers will receive a coupon – each coupon will have a certain percentage off – that they can use that evening.
“We’re really, really excited for it,” owner Shelby Hadenfeldt said. “We’re looking forward to getting our whole store ready for Christmas with our decor and music and showcasing all of our new styles for the holiday season. The open house will also be a fun time for us to thank our customers for shopping local this season.”
In the next few weeks, Hadenfeldt said shoppers will see a lot of new items.
“You’ll be seeing a lot more sweaters, and we’ll be putting out our cold weather accessories, like our winter hats, scarves and gloves,” she said. “We also just put out all of our new winter coats.”
Hadenfeldt said sweaters are one of the hot items right now at Lynne Morgan.
“Sweaters are very, very popular right now, so we will be putting out a lot of new styles before the holiday party,” she said.
Here’s some other holiday open houses to mark on your calendars:
• The Gift Shop’s Holiday Open House is Dec. 2. The Gift Shop is located inside Regional West Medical Center in Scottsbluff. The Gift Shop’s open house will feature a whopping 40 percent off any item. There will also be free cookies and hot cider. If you haven’t been to The Gift Shop lately, they’ve recently stocked their shelves with a plethora of fun Christmas items. The open house kicks off The Gift Shop’s fun 12 Days of Christmas. You can view each day’s specials in the picture next to this column.
- The Bible Book Shop’s Christmas Open House is Dec. 5-7. Customers will receive 20 percent off all regular-priced items. There will also be refreshments, giveaways, and drawings. In addition, everyone who comes into the store during its open house will receive a free gift as well as a special piece of paper that customers will unfold to see whether they’ve won a deep discount offer, a gift card, or even a free item from the store. The Bible Book Shop is located in downtown Scottsbluff. They’ll be open Dec. 5 and Dec. 6 from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and they’ll be open later than usual on Saturday, Dec. 7, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Prairie Pines Quilt Shop’s Christmas Open House is Dec. 6-7. They’ll be open on Friday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Saturday, Dec. 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Those days will feature hourly specials, 20 percent off regular-priced items excluding certain items, door prizes, and ruler demos. There will also be free holiday cookies. Prairie Pines Quilt Shop is located in Gering by FreshFoods.
- A Bridal Affair in downtown Scottsbluff will have its Holiday Open House on Saturday, Dec. 7, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Stop by that day to get 25 to 50 percent off select prom, wedding, homecoming, and bridesmaids dresses. There will also be drawings for gift cards and other special prizes. A Bridal Affair is also planning to have free wedding cake samples that day.
Free samples at Tangled Tumbleweed
The Tangled Tumbleweed in Scottsbluff is having a new beer launch party this Saturday, Nov. 16.
The party will feature the Nebraska debut of Spencer Brewery – the only Trappist Monk beer made in the United States. There’s only seven in the world. Spencer Brewery is located in Spencer, Massachusetts.
From 5-7 p.m., customers will be able to have free samples of Spencer Brewery beers. There will be four different kinds of beers available. Customers will also be able to purchase the bottled beer that evening.
“This beer only exists on the east coast, and we were lucky enough to be able to secure it for Nebraska, and we want to debut it this Saturday night at the Tangled Tumbleweed,” said Jerry Clemens, who founded Chieftain Distribution of Scottsbluff in 2015. “This is a great place to debut the beer.”
Clemens described the Trappist beer as “very European in style, I would say.” He said USA Today voted it as the top beer in 2018 in the eastern part of the United States. Also, he said the Boston Globe voted it as the best new beer.
Employee Spotlight
Kaitlin Gustafson of Scottsbluff has been a personal banker at First State Bank in Scottsbluff for two months.
Gustafson, 22, said she loves her job.
“It’s different than anything else I’ve ever done before,” she said. “It’s a professional, relaxed setting, which I really like. I also get to meet a lot of really cool people and build pretty intimate relationships with people by helping them here at the bank. Spending time getting to know people is awesome.”
When she’s not working, Gustafson said she enjoys spending time with her family and friends as well as reading.
“I go to the library a lot,” she said. “I also like to watch TV and go shopping.”
She said she particularly likes to shop in downtown Scottsbluff.
“I like to go to the book store on Broadway, Cappuccino and Company, Brown’s Shoe Fit and other stores on Broadway,” she said. “I like to shop locally.”
Gustafson said she was born in Colorado, and then her family lived in Kansas for a few years. They moved to Scottsbluff for a a while before moving to Grand Island and then Omaha. They returned to Scottsbluff in 2009. She and her family have been in Scottsbluff since then. She said she enjoys living in the Scottsbluff area.
“I like the small town aspect,” she said. “I like that there’s no traffic and not a lot of hustle and bustle. I like the really tight community. Everybody knows everybody around here. I really like being able to walk into a restaurant or go to a grocery store and see people who I know and connect with in everyday life.”
Gustafson said she highly recommends people consider First State Bank for their banking needs.
“I think it’s a very positive environment. Everybody here is super friendly,” she said. “It’s a great place to bank if you’re looking for incredibly friendly service.”
Stay warmer this winter and cut down on expenses with cellular shades at ABC Blinds and Shades
Looking for a way to stay a little warmer this winter while also trimming your heating bill?
You might want to consider a cellular shade at ABC Blinds and Shades, located on Avenue I in Scottsbluff.
“To help insulate and cut down on heating and cooling costs, cellular shades are a great way to go because it works for both summertime and wintertime,” said Lane Seifert, owner of ABC Blinds and Shades. “You can get cordless lift with a top/down, bottom/up feature for privacy, but you can drop the top down for some extra light.”
Some people, he said, think the bulkiness of drapes are a better insulation value, but cellular shades are actually a better insulation value because of how they’re designed.
“Some of these will actually knock out up to 65 percent of heat transfer, depending on which one you get – double cell, single cell, blackout or light filtering shade,” he said.
As far as cost, Seifert said drapes can be about three times more expensive than cellular shades.
As a reminder, ABC Blinds and Shades has a coupon in Nspire Today! magazine for a free cordless lift on select Graber shades.
Coupon of the Week
Nspire Today! magazine’s popular coupon section features awesome deals from more than 40 local businesses. One of them is an offer by Backaracks Steakhouse & Grill in Scottsbluff for 20 percent off ticket.
Backaracks is located at 1402 East 20th Street.
Did You Know?
16th Empire in Scottsbluff has a Happy Hour from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. During this time, customers can get $3 off appetizers and $1 off beer and other alcoholic drinks.
16th Empire, which recently opened under new management, is located at 1605 Ave. A.
Tidbits
Tossed & Found in downtown Scottsbluff recently had its Holiday Open House. Mary Skiles, co-owner, said it was a big success. “A big thank you to all of our customers for coming to Tossed & Found’s successful Holiday Open House,” she said. “So much energy and happiness in the store.” As a reminder, Tossed & Found will celebrate Small Business Saturday on Nov. 30 with refreshments, discounts, and drawings. You can also find a 15% off one item coupon to Tossed & Found in Nspire Today! magazine. … The perks of staying at Monument Inn & Suites in Gering just got even better. Hotel guests will find a complimentary copy of Nspire Today! magazine in each room. Free Nspire Today! magazines are also available to guests staying at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Scottsbluff. … Breakfast burritos are available all day now at The Mixing Bowl in Gering. … Backaracks in Scottsbluff is seeking a cook. Apply at the restaurant. … Goonies Sports Bar & Grill in Scottsbluff is now hiring servers, bartenders, and keno writers. Apply at the restaurant. … Main Moon Buffet in Scottsbluff will be open Thanksgiving Day from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The first 50 people to visit Main Moon Buffet that day will receive a gift. … Marketplace & Company in Mitchell will have its Christmas Open House on Saturday, Nov. 16, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be extra good sales at the Marketplace on this day on their unique gourmet foods, candles, dishes, unique antiques and vintage items and much more. Adding to the excitement is that you’ll be able to sample different foods and win fun prizes, including basket drawings. Marketplace & Company, which is celebrating its first year of being in business, is located in downtown Mitchell at 1344 Center Ave. … The Tangled Tumbleweed in Scottsbluff will be offering a new rotating brunch menu, starting Dec. 1, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the first and third Sundays of each month. This will run through April. … Prairie Pines Quilt Shop in Gering will be open on Thursdays until 8 p.m. from now until Christmas.
Nspire Today!’s WyoBraska business column runs each week online. The column will include good news, profiles on employees, interesting stats, information about sales and special promotions, and other fun tidbits from businesses in the area that support Nspire Today! If you would like to learn more about advertising in Nspire Today! magazine, please contact Jeff at 308-220-8865 or KC at 308-641-8587. Advertising rates start at just $35, and each page in the magazine is in color. Also, businesses aren’t locked into any contracts. Nspire Today! magazine focuses on positive, feel good and inspiring content on people in the WyoBraska area. The monthly magazine is ready by more than 10,000 people each month. In addition to our affordable advertising rates in the magazine, we also offer other ways to help promote local businesses, such as with inserts, online posts, and through this local business column. Nspire Today! also has a website (nspiretoday.com) and makes daily updates on social media, including Facebook. A one-year subscription (12 monthly issues) to the magazine is only $15. People may sign up by sending $15 to P.O. Box 454, Scottsbluff, NE 69361, or with a credit card by calling 308-220-8865. Thank you for supporting the locally owned and operated Nspire Today!
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