SVM_Dixon Living Magazine_042720

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PUBLICATION • SPRING 2020

g n i h c a Te ON THE TUBE

A Dixon man channels his talents into a classroom where more than 100,000 students learn more about Information Technology

ALSO INSIDE ...

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PUBLICATION • SPRING 2020

Publisher Don T. Bricker General Manager/ Advertising Director Jennifer Heintzelman Magazine editor & Page design Rusty Schrader Published by Sauk Valley Media 113 S. Peoria Ave., Dixon, IL 61021 815-284-2222 Do you have story ideas for Dixon Living? Let us know.

Call 815-632-2531 or e-mail news@saukvalley.com

People have questions. Zach Hill has answers, and people can find them on YouTube, where the Dixon man channels his talents into teachable tech moments – and he’s got about 134,000 students in his classroom

Articles and advertisements are the property of Sauk Valley Media. No portion of Dixon Living may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Ad content is not the responsibility of Sauk Valley Media. The information in this magazine is believed to be accurate; however, Sauk Valley Media cannot and does not guarantee its accuracy.

Sauk Valley Media cannot and will not be held liable for the quality or performance of goods and services provided by advertisers listed in any portion of this magazine.

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“To serve and connect”

It’s police lights, camera, action for Dixon officers who’ve taken to social media to connect with the community they serve

Enjoying their great Escape A longtime downtown business has new owners, but the name of the game is still the same: creating a fun, welcoming place for gamers, collectors, hobbyists and anyone else who walks through their doors

Finding the right fit Growing her business was as easy as 123 – West First St., that is – for the owner of a women’s clothing store

Beautiful stories A Dixon native’s journey took her from the Petunia Capital of Illinois to the Country Music Capital of the World

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Zach Hill’s website and YouTube channel offer advice and lessons on Information Technology topics, from basic computer maintenance to advice on how to pursue a career in I.T. “It’s not about the money; I just want to help people,” the Dixon man said.

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ll has People have questions. Zach Hi em answers, and people can find th an on YouTube, where the Dixon m g channels his passion for helpin logy others and his talent for techno into teachable moments – and so ents far he’s got about 134,000 stud and counting in his classroom STORY BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE

STORY MELISSA RUBALCABA RISKE | FOR DIXON LIVING

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t isn’t for the fame or the money, though both have been fun perks for Dixon’s Zach Hill as he has grown to become a popular online star through his YouTube channel, I.T. Career Questions. Hill said the real motivation is helping people.

“It’s definitely crazy and I never thought I’d be here, but I feel blessed I’m able to help people,” Hill said of his channel, where he offers advice and lessons on Information Technology topics, from basic computer maintenance to advice on how to pursue a career in I.T. “It’s not about the money; I just want to help people.”

Based on his YouTube stats, he’s helping a lot of people.

To date, Hill has attracted more than 134,000 subscribers, which is a feat not easily managed in the YouTube realm, where the content is plentiful and the influencers grapple for views.

Views on his videos range from several thousand to more than 1 million.

One of his first posted videos, from November 2014, recently saw a surge of new views as Hill describes how to connect a computer to a television. Hill said he thinks this is due to recent government stay-at-home and work-fromhome requirements, which had many people setting up

home offices.

“So many people message me to say thanks,” Hill said.

Another, more recent video, combined the topical with the tongue-in-cheek, giving viewers a tutorial on how to keep our technology clean during the coronavirus outbreak (search for “How to keep your devices clean during these times.”)

Hill said he never imagined his career path would lead him to creating popular videos. At age 12 he took apart his first computer just to see what was inside.

“That got me initially intrigued,” he said.

At 14 he dropped out of high school and taught himself how to program. By 15, he had learned how to build websites and he started helping people with technology issues.

“I just enjoyed helping people and got more into Information Technology,” he said.

He says liked the work, but he quickly realized it was the ability to help others that made him feel good – but if we has going to help others, there was one more thing he had to teach himself.

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“It’s definitely crazy and I never thought I’d be here, but I feel blessed I’m able to help people.”

Zach Hill

Founder of I.T. Career Questions

Continued on page 6

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Hill said it wasn’t hard to learn about information technology, but the real work would be developing good communication and people skills, two areas that can’t be taught online. He pushed himself to engage with others and develop his personal skills.

“He’s definitely one of the most liked techs we’ve had,” said Chris Davis, systems administrator for KSB Hospital.“He’s the kind of guy you like right away.”

Davis was the one to nudge Hill to take his computer knowledge and create videos on a YouTube Channel. Davis knew firsthand how to get topics to click with people online.

He began making YouTube videos in 2008 on his channel, PC Addicts Live. Through the years and various videos, Davis amassed around 53,000 subscribers – that’s no small feat, but says he’s not surprised Hill has more than doubled that number with his videos.

“He’s done a really good job at targeting his niche,” Davis said. “He’s highly personable and very helpful.

Continued on page 7

Zach Hill shows off the award he earned for passing the 100,000 subscribers mark to his YouTube channel.

The Dixon man has parlayed his passion for helping people and his talent for tech into a successful YouTube channel, I.T. Career Questions.

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Hill has created videos ranging from how-to instructions to sharing his own experiences and advice for those interested in I.T. careers. In 2018 Hill decided to take a chance, leaving his full-time work at KSB Hospital and focusing on his YouTube content and website. Hill said he really enjoyed his work at KSB, “with its incredible staff,” but he was ready to take a chance, even if it meant failing.

Since going on his own he’s found increasing success. Each day he receives messages and emails from people throughout the world, a point he considers one of the coolest aspects of what he does. As he manages his content and the expectations that come with his exponential growth, Hill said he never forgets the real reason he keeps posting videos.

“I want to see other people succeed,” Hill said. n

MORE INFO Zach Hill Find him on YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitch YouTube Channel: I.T. Career Questions Website: itcareerquestions.com/

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andcuffs: check. Walkie talkie: check. Kevlar vest: check.

Social media: check.

Today’s police officers have a lot of tools at their disposal to combat crime. But what do they use when they want to connect with the community? A video camera and an imagination are a good start – that, and officers willing to have a little fun on the job.

That’s where the Dixon Police Department’s social media presence takes a starring role. From the informal to the informative, the silly to the serious, the department’s posts have attracted thousands of fans and followers who log in to watch squirt run raids, keep up on community news, or find out who they can help Crimestoppers keep an eye out for.

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A sense of humor and some photo editing skills came together for this picture on the DPD’s Twitter account: officers Pratt and Farias doing their best to deal with the winter weather in Dixon – on the back of a tauntan from Star Wars. “Our squad cars weren’t cutting it so we’ve brought the tauntauns out, please excuse their smell!” said the post.

Continued from page 9

Dixon Police Officer Lincoln Sharp, a Sterling native and 12-year veteran of the Dixon Police Department, began the budding social media presence several years ago when he was looking for ways to bridge the gap that can sometimes develop between a community and the people who protect it.

The idea started off simply, and silly, enough – videos of water balloon attacks and squirt gun raids – but soon grew to include Tweet-alongs on Twitter and other videos. Before he knew it, Sharp was walking across the

bridge he had built, with plenty of followers right behind him.

“I saw what bigger departments like Baltimore and Dallas were doing,” Sharp said. “There weren’t a whole lot of smaller departments with accounts. So we just gave it a start and see where it goes.”

Sharp continued to watch as his idea grew, not just in Dixon but elsewhere.

“Soon everybody was doing it. So many popped up or would redo ideas. It’s hard to stay active on every site while doing my other regular duties.”

Continued on page 11

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Those duties changed for Sharp when he was promoted to detective. That’s when his tour as the social media face of the department ended, and patrol officer Ryan West’s tour began.

Sharp passed the baton to West, who’s keeping the lines of community communication open. “It takes a certain personality to do it,” Sharp said “They have to be informative but entertaining. He’s really kept it going.”

The man behind the badge, and the camera, comes across at ease in front of the lens. West takes viewers along for the ride in a way that informs and entertains.

West, who’s been with the Dixon force for 3 years, upped the department’s online game, enlisting You Tube videos to serve the department’s social media presence.

“You have to evolve so you stay relevant,” West said of his videos. “You have to do different things to draw new followers, so you’re not just doing what everyone else is trying to do. Make it unique.”

Continued on page 12

In this screen grab from one of the DPD’s YouTube videos, office Diaz finds out what its like to be on the receiving end of a stun gun. Looking for the video? Well, just search for “Officer Gets Shot In Butt With A Taser!!!”

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Submitted for your consideration ... Dixon Police office Ryan West is the man behind the badge, and the camera, for the department’s online videos. He also, according to some of the departments’ social media followers, bears more than a passing resemblance to “Twilight Zone” host Rod Serling.

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And make it unique he does, and we’re not just talking point-and-shoot cell phone videos. West’s Vlogs feature a brief intro and background music, edits, and officers even get to show off their acting chops as he and his cast of cops go on patrol, attend training sessions, and perform other duties.

One recent video, “How To Be Socially Distant Police,” even managed to find the lighter side of coronavirus concerns as officers showed what it was like to navigate the social distancing guidelines. The 12-minute tour-de-(police)-force production features location filming, special effects and drone photography. In one scene an officer conducts a traffic stop with a coughing driver who gets his license back – via a paper airplane from 6 feet away.

Another video gave would-be scofflaws tips on how to get a better mugshot – by turning the glum glamorous, ala an ‘80s glamour photo shoot (think cute cat, floatings heads, and a spacey background).

Continued on page 13

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Other videos, such as “Dixon Live PD,” “A Valentine’s Special,” and “April Showers Bring … Tornado Sirens?” keep the balance of “being informative but add our touch of humor,” Sharp said.

“I liked doing our take on the Live PD, but the office drone was the most fun to film,” West said of the videos.

West, who does all of his own video editing, says many of his concepts are born out of boredom. “If I have some free time just driving around I try to come up with entertaining ideas.” He said community suggestions for videos are welcome but adds that it “depends on the idea. It can be hard to entertaining and still be tastefully done. We don’t want to poke fun at anything too serious but we will take suggestions.”

Getting other officers involved is also a big part of West’s duties. “A few are willing, some need a little arm twisting,” he said. He’s even managed to bring Dixon firefighters in on the action, poking fun at a friendly rivalry that, as West says in the “Cops vs. Firefighters” video, is as “old as doughnuts.”

Continued on page 14

This photo from the DPD’s Twitter account shows how officers get some help cleaning their gun. It’s just one example of the department’s tongue-in-cheek take on officers’ daily duties that has made its social media presence increasingly popular.

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Sharp said coming up with a cast list “depends on who’s on shift. Sometimes we’re limited with who’s around. There’s a couple that really like the camera and do a good job.”

As more of the department’s posts pop up online, their popularity has grown. The department’s Facebook page has nearly 22,000 followers and its Twitter account nearly 13,000.

“It’s another way to interact with the people, a more positive interaction,” West said. “We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback and supportive comments. We have some regulars who look forward to our posts, or people who stop us and talk about them.”

It’s all part of the department’s effort at, as its Twitter page says, “humanizing the badge.”

It’s a new role for today’s police: playing a part in social media. These days, it’s more than just the facts, ma’am; it’s being savvy enough to see that social media can reach even farther than the long arm of the law to help the police and the public get to know each other better – and some of the work that Dixon’s finest is doing would probably even get Sgt. Joe Friday to crack a smile.

This is the city: Dixon, Illinois … and this is a wrap. n

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FIND THEM ONLINE

Facebook: Find Dixon, Illinois Police Department Twitter: @DixonPolice Instagram: dixonpolice YouTube: Find Dixon Police Department

ABOVE: Armed and humorous ... This photo from the Dixon Police Department’s Facebook page show officers Lincoln Sharp, Ryan West, Matt Richard and Ed Deets about to embark on a squirt gun raid.

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Escape INS BEG GE Y R PA STO NEXT N O

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F

or Daniel Smith, his next big adventure ended before it even began when he had to pass up the chance to buy a gaming store in the Quad Cities.

The next time opportunity knocked – this time in Dixon – he wasn’t about to let it slip away, so when he found out The Paper Escape was up for sale, he told himself: The adventure begins here.

Smith is the new owner of the comics and collectibles store that has a long history downtown, having been around just shy of 40 years.

Thomas and Nancy McClain opened it in HEAD PHOTOS MICHAEL KRABBENHOEFT | FOR SMALL TOWN LIVING 1981 as a used bookstore.STORY A few KELSEY years later they added comic books and gaming, and the store just kept growing, adding collectibles, statues, models, costumes, and more. Now, the shop is turning yet another page, and Smith is writing the next chapter.

Smith took over in January 2019 after the McClains decided to close the book on being business owners. It was the second time Smith had the chance to become a own a store, but unlike the first time, this time he was ready with a game plan.

Continued on page 17

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Twenty-five years ago, Smith, who hails from Preemption, a small community south of the Quad Cities, found out the gaming store he went to was up for sale. At that point, he and his wife, Kerri, weren’t in a position to jump at the opportunity.

“It slipped away and nobody bought it and it went out of business,” he said. “We thought it was a terrible loss for the area.”

When he found out The Paper Escape was for sale, he knew he had to take the leap – and this, time, he was ready.

“When this was offered a few years ago I thought, ‘Well, we’re going to jump at the chance,’ and so we bought it,” he said.

Smith said that becoming a business owner wasn’t a big stretch. “I used to do computer consulting work decades ago, and I’ve worked in retail as well,” the 52-year-old Navy veteran and a father of four said. “It’s not much of a stretch for me except I have to make the decisions and pay the bills instead of just managing it.” Plus, it helps to have a partner in life, and in business, by his side: Kerri, who helps at the store.

Photos on page 18, story continued on page 19

B V-A

If you haven’t been to Paper Escape in Dixon lately, you’ll find there’s a new face behind the counter. Daniel Smith is the new owner of the shop. He took over in January 2019 from former owners Thomas and Nancy McClain, who opened the shop in 1981.

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Looking for a little escapism?

Bored?

How about a board game to pass the time?

The Paper Escape has a large selection of Mangas.

Looking for an action figure. How about a figurine? The Paper Escape can help, from Superman to a glob of ghostly goo and more.

Model making has seen a resurgence recently and The Paper Escape carries kits, supplies tools and paints.

Dungeons and Dragons is one of the biggest sellers at The Paper Escape right now. “More and more people are getting into it and trying different stuff. It doesn’t have the stigmatism that it used to have,” owner Daniel Smith said.

So, you’re looking for an Elvis Presley potato head. Sure you could order one online, but why do that when you can find one downtown? ThankYaVeryMuch.

The brave, the bold, and leagues of extraordinary heroes, you’ll find them all on the comic racks at The Paper Escape. The shop carries new releases and back issues.

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Continued from page 17

One of those decisions was how to roll with the punches when a pandemic hit.

While the store has been open for walk-in customers and pick-up orders, Smith had to adjust to the new reality. He had been planning to start online sales, but when the coronavirus clamped down on many businesses, he ramped up efforts to create an online store where customers can place an order and pick it up at the store or at the curb.

Though the new owners have made some changes since taking over – doing some remodeling and rearranging fixtures to open up the store a bit more – the shop still offers the same wide selection customers have come to expect: comics, card games, role-playing games, board games, collectibles, models and more. Smith said one of the most popular items right now is the Dungeon and Dragons role-playing game, which has been around since the early 1970s and still attracts new fans.

“Right now, Dungeons and Dragons is the biggest,” he said. “The RPG (roleplaying game) section, more and more people are getting into it and trying different stuff. I doesn’t have the stigmatism that it used to have.”

The shop also has extended its hours, staying open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays.

Smith has tapped into his gaming roots, too, offering gaming experiences and events for customers. Some of the happenings the store has hosted include gaming tournaments and regular get-togethers for Magic: The Gathering, and Dungeons and Dragons players.

“We encourage people to come in and talk to us. I don’t know every game out there, but I know enough about a lot of them and I’ve learned from what the customers have said about them,” said Smith.

Whether you’re looking to get your game on, pick up the latest four-color adventure, or you’re considering taking up a new hobby, just follow the paper trail to downtown Dixon. Who knows, you might just find that a whole new adventure awaits behind the door with the dragon on it. n

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MORE INFO The Paper Escape, 205 W. First St., Dixon Online: http://paperescape.com and at facebook.com/thepaperescape Square Site for online sales: https://thepaperescape.square.site/ Contact: 815-284-7567 or paperescape@paperescape.com Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.

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journey took her from the Petunia Capital of Illinois to the Country Music Capital of the World, thanks to her talent for connecting and affecting – reaching her audience with music that comes from the heart of the country 20

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STORY CODY CUTTER | FOR DIXONLIVING

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ictoria Venier’s story has all the makings of a hit song.

A small-town girl discovers she can mend a broken heart with music, follows her dream to become a working musician, strikes out on her own, and finds success.

Venier, 52, listened to country music on cathedral radios growing up in her Dixon. Nearly 30 years later, she performed at the cathedral of country music: the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.

After making a name for herself in the local music scene as a child, she’s making it big on the national country music scene.

Her songs have been near the top of the charts, and she’s collaborated with household names in the music industry.

Not bad for a young girl out of northern Illinois.

“I never really had to think, ‘Gee, what do I want to be when I grow up?’” she said. “I just knew that I wanted to do music.”

Her mother, Marilyn, once told her that she “basically came out singing” at birth. Perhaps it was in the genes: Music was a big part of her life, as well as for her brothers, Mike and Bob. Their father, Louie, worked in the family’s downtown jewelry business. When Louie wasn’t fiddling with rings and diamonds, he was in the workshop at home tinkering around with other things.

The workshop had an old radio. After a few moments of tuning with high-pitched warps, it would land on the one station it could carry – to the tunes of the old west and country.

After making a name for herself in the local music scene, Victoria Venier is making it big on the national country music scene. “I never really had to think, ‘Gee, what do I want to be when I grow up?’” she said. “I just knew that I wanted to do music.”

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Little did Victoria know then that the music she heard over the airwaves would have a tremendous impact on her future. Mike grew up listening to bands such as the Rolling Stones, Bob was more of an Eric Clapton kid. Victoria?

She was all over the place, she said, and that variety helped form who she would become as a musician.

But it was a broken heart that would help determine her destiny.

As a seventh-grader at St. Mary School, Venier turned to music to get her through hard times. “That was after getting my heart broken – I’m not going to name his name because everyone still knows him,� she said of the first song she wrote. “I can remember writing it down like writing a poem on my notebook page and kind of humming a tune with it.�

Venier’s musical ambitions took her to a local legend in music, James Wiltz, the longtime music teacher at Dixon High School.

Venier took voice lessons from him in middle school and was a student of his at high school, where she got involved in musicals, ensembles, madrigals and show choir.

Music eventually became her career path, and after graduating from high school in 1983, she studied commercial music at Millikin University in Decatur – a city with plenty of blue-

Venier’s (right) recent collaboration with singer Tabitha Fair in TnT Duo channeled country, Motown, rhythm and blues, and even has a little rap influence tucked in it.

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collar influence, she said, and lots of country music on the radio. “As an aspiring songwriter, I was always looking for those songs that told beautiful stories,� she said. “I was really in love with the lyric intentions of country music, and I just kind of gravitated toward that.�

Venier did more than write; she also performed summers at Great America theme park

in suburban Gurnee, and then Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida. That stage experience, coupled with her songwriting, helped cement her desire to pursue bigger dreams.

By 1995, she was working full time in Nashville. She started out playing at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville during open mic writers nights, and soon got her first publishing deal.

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Nearly 10 years later, she first set foot on the Opry stage, where she would perform another three times to date.

“Nashville is the songwriting capital of the world,” she said. “I knew that I had to figure out a way to get there and not starve, and try to find a way to pay my bills.

“That’s where the best songwriters are. Songwriting is like a community, and you have to be there.”

Venier writes “in all different veins,” she said, and her recent collaboration with singer Tabitha Fair in TnTDuo channeled country, Motown, rhythm and blues, and even has a little rap influence tucked in it.

A contemporary gospel song proved to be a shining light on her career in 2008: “Back to You,” from the Take 6 album “The Standard,” reached No. 2 on the Billboard U.S. Jazz chart. Another of her songs, “Right Now,” recorded by Australian artist Travis Collins – who Venier compared to Blake Shelton in America – is a country hit overseas.

ONLINE When a project to put American hisGo to tory into music was pitched, Venier was tntduo.band recruited to pen songs for the “This is My Facebook: America” series about the Boston Tea Party, find TnT Duo the immigration wave through Ellis Island, Twitter: @ and how horses – one of her favorite things VictoriaVenier – made an impact on American history.

YouTube Venier’s voice also can be heard on comchannel: mercial jingles for Russell-Stover candies Victoria Venier and Ace Hardware.

Some songs can take months, while others just “fall out” easy, Venier said, especially when there’s a heartfelt connection.

One of the hardest moments of her life generated a song that took just 20 minutes to write: “Ride or Die,” a tribute to her best friend Lisa since age 11, who passed away in May 2019 after battling a mental illness.

“Everyone has their own Lisa,” Venier said.

Venier makes it back to Dixon often, and she got to visit Wiltz one last time before he died 2 days before Christmas in 2017. She was the last person to sing with Wiltz before his passing. She visited a few days before his death, but by that time he had been quite ill. The registers of “Angels We Have Heard on High,” “Silent Night,” and “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” came to be familiar to her mentor.

“He was at that point where he recognized me, and we had this kind of connection,” Venier said. “I started singing and he lifted his eyes up and started to try and sing with me.”

Victoria isn’t the only Venier who sings. Mike is one half of the local act “The Late Night Blues Brothers,” and her niece, Gina, once made it to American Idol and is an artist in her own right.

“The best experience is sharing your original works with an audience,” she said. “Playing something for you that is mine, that you never heard, and having you connect to it and say, ‘I relate to that,’ or ‘I really like that.’ Or, in some cases, ‘That’s helping me heal from whatever it is that I’m going through.’

“That’s the best payoff, when you affect an audience like that.

You get to share your gift to people that have never heard the words, and they’re affected by it in a positive way.” n

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fit

Finding the

right

Growing her business was as easy as 123 – West First St., that is – for a Dixon shop owner who prides herself on helping every customer not only look their best, but feel their best

STORY MELISSA RUBALCABA RISKE | FOR DIXON LIVING

A

cute window display and racks of clothes may draw shoppers in, but Jenny Koch said it’s more than the style that has customers returning to j boutique time and again.

“It’s the community we have built inside here,” she said.

Even while the shop is closed during the state’s shelter-in-place in order, Koch is super busy filling online orders, many of which are delivered by other boutique staff to loyal local customers who continue to support the Dixon native and her dream business.

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“I have been swamped over the last month,” Koch said from her store, where she was working solo on a recent April day filling online and phone-in orders.

Koch grew up in Dixon and started her career as a certified public accountant, but said that in her heart, she knew her ambition was to manage her own business. She said her father encouraged her to pursue her dream and offered her some sound fatherly advice: dedication to work would help her find success.

In December 2017 she launched j boutique as on online store from a spare bedroom in her Dixon home and it didn’t take long for her cute graphic T-shirts and fun accessories to click with her customers. Less than a year later, Koch took a big step – out of her spare bedroom and into a storefront in downtown Dixon, at 115 S. Hennepin Ave. It didn’t take long to fill the 1,000-square-foot of retail space with clothes and customers. Business continued to grow and this past February she took another step, this time to a bigger store just down the road, at 123 W. First St. The store’s new home is 3 times the size of her former location.

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ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SAUKVALLEY.COM

Jenny Koch launched j boutique in 2017 as on online store from a spare bedroom in her Dixon home. Today, that bedroom boutique has moved in to a home of its own, at 123 W. First St. in downtown Dixon. It’s the second storefront location for the women’s clothing store; she outgrew her previous location on South Hennepin Avenue and moved in to the new location on West First Street, which is about 3 times bigger.

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• Legal Advocacy • Sexual Assault Counseling • 24-Hour Crisis Intervention • Medical Advocacy • Services available in Spanish • Support Groups ywsauk.org This project was supported by Grant #2017-VA-GX-0048, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, through the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority. Points of view or opinions contained within this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice, or the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority.

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The store caters to women of all shapes and sizes, carrying sizes small through 3X, as well as shoes, accessories and jewelry. For Koch and her staff, the goal isn’t to just find clothing that fits, but clothing that makes customers feel confident and happy.

“I have something for everyone,” Koch said.

“I take pride that we have customers of all different ages and social statuses coming here. I and my staff love to help them look good.”

Koch said she’s had tremendous support from her staff and her family, especially from husband Gary and their two daughters, Karly and Kacey, who’ve all helped out at the shop.

Of course, she wouldn’t have been able to do any of it without the support of her customers – people who continued to shop even after Koch was forced to close her shop not long after it opened.

Just a few weeks the new location opened, the governor issued an order requiring all nonessential businesses to close due to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. Koch said she was nervous at first, but it didn’t take long for business to pick up again, thanks to online orders.

For Koch, it’s like she’s right back where she started – but in this case, that’s just OK with here. The online orders have thrown her shop a lifeline. Along with customers clamoring for cute spring styles and gifts, she’s launched a successful promotion called Mystery Boxes, where the customer spends $65 and Koch personally selects items for the customer, including an accessory or two as well as a few items from the store, based on the customer’s size and preferences.

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J boutique owner Jenny Koch said she and her staff thrive on the personal connections they make with their customers. “I want you to walk out looking good and feeling good,” she said.

From left, the j boutique staff: Lindsey Kerley, Paula Sherman, Koch, and Kelli Aurand.

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Koch said that in March she sold 70 boxes in a just a few weeks. The next month, she had to cap the orders on the boxes after she sold 130 boxes in less than 10 days. She estimates about 75 percent of the Mystery Box orders she filled were customers she knew personally, making it even more special to select their items.

“No two boxes are the same,” Koch said. “I pack the boxes myself.”

Koch said she and her staff thrive on the personal connections they make with their customers.

“I want you to walk out looking good and feeling good,” Koch said. “I’ve met a lot of women I didn’t know before and I’m genuinely interested in making every one of them feel good.”

Whether it’s helping customer find a look for a special occasion or just an outfit they can feel confident in, Koch and her team enjoy the ability to connect with each customer and make them feel special.

“I know it’s not just the clothes,” Koch said.

“I take pride in knowing people are SUBMITTED Koch said she and her staff love to help customers find the coming here because of the community that me and my employees have built.” n best fit. “I have something for everyone,” she said.

MORE INFO j boutique 123 W. First St., Dixon.

815-440-0733 When the shop reopens its hours will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.

Online: Find the store at jboutiqueil.com/and follow on Facebook and Instagram at @ jboutiqueil

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OUR RESIDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES, AND THE STAFF OF HERITAGE SQUARE, WANT TO THANK THE INDIVIDUALS AND THE COMMUNITY FOR ALL THE PRAYERS, CARDS AND DONATIONS, SUCH AS MASKS AND DISINFECTANT WIPES, THROUGHOUT THIS CHALLENGING TIME! We also want to thank the many Heritage Square heroes, who have worked tirelessly, day in and day out, to care for our wonderful residents!

Our Kitchen / Dietary crew! • Our Maintenance department!

Our Environmental Services crew! • Office, Medical Records, Drivers!

Our Nursing, Rehab and CNA staff and Our Medical Director! • Bookkeeping!

Activities! • Social Services and Administration!

THANK YOU!!

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620 N. Ottawa, Dixon (815) 288-2251 www.heritagesquaredixon.com