Jasper County Living Spring 2023

Prairie City leader

Get to know local business owner

Kirsten Weiland

Tee it up

The Monroe Golf Club gives year-round course access

Eye spy

Jasper County is packed with a large variety of birds

Shake it up

Mega Tea Bombs, shakes and more at 1st Ave Nutrition

Pack the park

Quarry Springs Park in Colfax adds spring and summer events

Newton Main Street

Charles Seeberger, Hardware Merchant

Tell us a little about yourself — Oh goodness, I currently run the Prairie Escape Wellness Center and co-own E ective Wellness in Prairie City. I am married and have two kiddos — well, now one adult and one soon-to-be-adult. My daughter graduated from PCM in 2020 and my son is a sophomore this year.

I grew up in Ames and Ankeny, have lived in the DSM metro area and Prairie City area and now Altoona-for all my life. When I’m not busy with work, you can nd me exploring outdoors, checking out locally owned restaurants and live music, but mostly tucked in at home or anywhere. Cooking and laughing with my family is a pretty good time to me.

What attracted you to Prairie City? I came to know Prairie City in 1998 and moved to the Prairie City area in 2005. e community was very welcoming and with a little girl-that helped me connect right away. Life was good and life also changes along the way, when other variables in my life changed, I still found a great deal of support and love from my connections there. My kids had a strong, consistent, safe and supportive community to grow up in and that was very important.

When I opened my rst massage biz, Myo Massage erapy, I needed to be close to the kids’ school and activities and I felt Prairie City could use the services I was o ering — boy, did they. It was great to build upon already existing relationships in a way that positively a ected both my clients and friendships. I was nding that it was very much needed for me to take time out to care for myself and I wanted that for my community, as well.

From a business perspective, overhead startup was minimal compared to a larger populated area and there was not a saturated market for the massage therapists. And it just felt right.

Where did you get the idea for the Prairie Escape Wellness Center? As my massage business grew, it came to a point where I needed to stop taking on new clients, because, and I speak from the heart here, it became too much. I was scheduling four to ve months out, and if something came up and reschedules were needed, my days were already pretty tightly lled. Add that with two very active kids at the time and it was a lot. Lori Cummings with Shades of You, by Lori, was in the building with me, and when we had several people in and out, it felt like we needed a larger space. Just about that time, Prairieview Partners, our then and now building owners, were considering the purchase of ‘“the old bank” building and it kind of just came together. e process began in 2017 and we opened in February 2019. I will never forget moving into the new building that February. It was brutal. It felt like a billion below. But the excitement of it all was an adrenaline rush.

How did it go from an idea to the thriving business it is now? It was a lot of discussions between Prairieview Partners, myself, their contractors and the City of Prairie City. We hit a few bumps and delays along the way but it was a tremendous process. e Stravers and Wenthe Families worked so hard and it truly was a full on group e ort. ey have been so great to be partnered with. It was great to see the quiet, empty building, come back to life.