Thursday, April 25, 2024
Vol. 159, Issue 17
Decorah, Iowa 52101 www.decorahnewspapers.com
One Section email: news@decorahnewspapers.com
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fax: 563-382-5949
Earth Day Fest 2024
J. Tupy’s celebrates 25 years in downtown Joan Tupy still at the helm after four decades of experience Joan Tupy is a familiar face to Driftless area shoppers at J. Tupy’s on Water Street. The business has been a premier destination for women’s apparel and accessories for 25 years. An anniversary celebration is planned this weekend. (Driftless Multimedia photo by Roz Weis) By Roz Weis This year, J Tupy’s on Water Street in downtown Decorah celebrates a milestone: 25 years in business. Owner Joan Tupy of Calmar is also commemorating more than four decades of success in the apparel industry. A 1976 graduate of South Winneshiek High School, Tupy earned a degree in home economics and business, with emphasis in marketing, from the University of Northern Iowa in 1980. She married her husband Bob in November of that same year. The couple has three children, Matt (wife Michelle), Nicole and Lisa (husband Bryan). They have eight grandchildren. Retail success Tupy’s long tenure in the retail industry started when she worked in the cosmetics area at Younkers. After a year, she completed a 1½-year internship with Maurices and stayed on for a time. In fall 1980, she was recruited by Seiferts (a long-standing Cedar Rapids-based apparel chain store in the Midwest during that era), and came to Decorah to manage the store. “I managed Seiferts until November of 1998 when the store closed its doors and the owner (James F. Seifert Sr.) encouraged 12 locations to remain open and start their own businesses.” Five women in total, including Tupy, took on that challenge. J. Tupy’s doors opened on Friday, April 13, 1999. Tupy remembers that when she opened doors back then, she hoped the Friday the 13th date would be a lucky day, and not unlucky. Robin Romelton was her assistant manager at Seiferts and she also stayed on as J. Tupy’s new assistant manager. “We’ve worked together since 1980, and I can’t thank her enough for sticking with me and being a friend, too,” Tupy said. “Robin retired in August of 2021, and is always missed.” Presently, Tupy said she has a great staff, including Kelly
Nordschow, Marti Runyon and Laura Lechtenberg. “We are a team and that’s what a successful store must have,” Tupy said. “Retail is not just about selling, it’s about building a family.” Tupy said she and her staff care about their customers and the milestones in their lives, whether they are happy occasions or some circumstances filled with sorrow. Tupy said she appreciates all the friendships she’s made in the retail community since 1980. “I always say I’m a fixture in the store,” she smiled. Shoppers come from across the Midwest, the Twin Cities, Chicago, Des Moines, Rochester, Fairfield and the entire Driftless region to visit the store. She said her customers have said they often drive to six different locations in a metropolitan area to find all the J. Tupy’s collections that are in Decorah under one roof. J. Tupy’s features items from some 100 various vendors throughout a given year. Some of the collections she refers to as “investment lines,” meaning they may be more expensive, but they will last up to 20 years and beyond. “I try to bring in a variety of price points to the store, along with different USA-made products.” When asked what the biggest change in retail has been during her 40 years in the industry, she underlined the introduction of online shopping. She couldn’t emphasize enough the importance of “in person” shopping experiences. “To succeed, I believe our customer wants an actual shopping experience,” she said. “To actually touch and try on clothing, to get our opinion and to have fun while doing it.” She admits she has not implemented a lot of social media to her store. She said her best results are from direct mail pieces, local advertising, and Facetiming individually with customers who can’t make it to the store or live farther away.
More than 700 people attended the 2024 Earth Day Festival April 20 at the Winneshiek County Fairgrounds. The free event was organized by Winneshiek County Conservation, Winneshiek Energy District, Winneshiek County ISU Extension & Outreach, the Oneota Community Food Co-op, and Luther College Environmental Studies, with support from the Winneshiek County Sanitary Landfill and Winneshiek County Recycling Center. Fest-goers enjoyed free snacks and coffee, tree and seed giveaways, electric vehicle showings, educational presentations, earth-friendly activities, and informational tables hosted by nearly 50 local groups. Pictured clockwise from top left: Kitara Callaway Hackman shows off her handmade daffodil headpiece, Ellen Cutting (left) and Barb Schroeder staffed the Winneshiek County Conservation booth; and Darrel Jensen helped distribute free trees. The goal of the fest was to bring the community together to find sustainable ways to care for natural resources, reduce pressure on landfills and contribute to the health of Winneshiek County. (Driftless Multimedia photos by Roz Weis)
Supervisors unanimously approve county budget
Levy rate increased by nearly $1 due to expensive projects, unfunded mandates
By Zach Jensen
The Winneshiek County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the county’s proposed Fiscal Year 2024-25 budget, following a public hearing held on the matter, during its regular meeting Monday morning. If approved by the state, the budget would include about a $1 levy rate increase, which County Auditor Ben Steines said is the result of several expensive projects combined with a decrease in valuation. Steines told the supervisors that the county’s main projects contributing to the budget
include the new Information Technology professional for Winneshiek County Emergency Management, the cost of the new 911 towers, the recent purchase of the former Spectrum building and skyrocketing property insurance rates. “Property insurance rates went up quite a bit this year, which, anybody who’s done their own personal insurance, knows that’s not just a trend,” said Steines during the meeting. “Everybody is paying higher rates and getting less coverage. Those are the big factors increasing the levy rate.” Steines continued by explain-
ing that in the proposed budget, both the general fund and rural fund, are the same as last year. “That’s both by design and by law,” he said. “The county does not have the ability to raise those rates. And, depending on our valuation growth each year, we may actually have to lower those rates. That’s in reference to House File 718, where the state has limited our general fund and rural fund rates.” The county auditor said the “General Supplemental” rate, which is proposed at 3.24 percent, isn’t restricted by law but has tight restrictions on how it can be spent.
“You can’t just raise General Supplemental to pay for other things,” he said. “It can only be used on very specific things, and two of those things happen to be emergency management and property insurance, which are where our rates went this year.” The next page of the proposed budget document, which Steines explained is a fraction of the size of the actual proposed budget, shows the valuation for the current year as opposed to preceding years, and
Supervisors
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Spectrum to host May 3 gala to Visit Network us online - www.decorahnewspapers celebrate 50 years of making people smile By Zach Jensen The Spectrum Network of Decorah is celebrating its 50th year of serving developmentally disabled adults and the community, and to kick off its celebratory year, the nonprofit organization is hosting a gala themed “Golden Moments!” Friday, May 3, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., at Impact Coffee. Gala attendees are encouraged to wear gold attire for the event, which will feature a spread of hors d’oeuvres and a complimentary signature drink for the evening. The night will also include a raffle, live auction and music. Christopher Miculinich, Spectrum Operations Manager, said he, board members, staffers and Spectrum clients are very excited about the upcoming celebration. “We’re celebrating 50 years of service to the community,
which is a big deal,” said Miculinich. “A lot of organizations don’t make it that long, and we’re not going anywhere. We’ll likely be here for the next 50-plus years and beyond.” Spectrum’s location has changed significantly from its inception. The organization began in 1974 as “Winneshiek Development Center” (WDC) in the basement of Grace Episcopal Church, providing services to 13 clients. They moved within a year to the Carlson building, now home to B. Fit Studio. In 1982, WDC opened a can redemption business for Winneshiek County, and in 1986, WDC and Sheltered Work, Inc., merged to become Spectrum Industries. After numerous changes over the next 20 years, Spectrum Industries changed its name to The Spectrum Network, to reflect its vision of strengthening the “network” of support and
community inclusion for clients. With this change, the organization opened the doors to its new headquarters at 607 Washington Street, and has been developing and changing ever since. Clients and past employees have also been invited to the gala. “We want our donor base there, but we also want to make sure the individuals we serve on a daily basis can enjoy the event as well,” Miculinich said. “The clients are who we are, as an organization, and they’re all excited to come to the event. It’s just awesome. Miculinich said employment services is one way Spectrum partners with other companies and organizations in the Decorah community. “We’re actively providing services in community organizations, because our clients are employed in those organizations — like the Chamber or
The Landing and others,” Miculinich said. “And, our Day Habilitation provides our clients with social connections, and they have at least one outing every day where they go out into the community.” A major portion of Spectrum’s “Day-Hab” services is the organization’s bus, which
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Pictured above- Decorah resident Alan Hover began receiving services from Winneshiek Development Center in the mid1970s. (submitted)
Deadline is Friday to get your garage sale on the map! See page 3.