Young people bring their businesses to Wahoo

Jobs were scarce when Ashley Didier graduated from college last year.

So she decided to stick with what she knew -- the consignment store business.

Today, Didier is among a small group of younger people who’ve opened businesses in Wahoo during the last eight months.

Young business people like Didier say they like the slower pace of a small community. Others believe Wahoo is a good place to raise families.

So in an era when many small towns are losing young people, Wahoo has been drawing them back. It’s something that pleases Doug Watts, director of the Wahoo Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development.

Watts credits the town’s proximity to larger cities and good school systems with helping attract younger people to return — and for some — to even start a business here.

Didier, now 24, opened a consignment store called “For the Hip Chick” in April. She sells clothing, accessories and home décor in the shop at 119 E. Fifth St. After starting out with only five accounts, she now has more than 200.

“People are looking to get money for their stuff, because of the economy,” she said.

Shoppers range in age from children to adults in their 80s. Most people coming into the store to sell items on consignment are shoppers, too, so that works well, she said.

Originally from David City, Didier graduated from Kearney Catholic High School in 2003 and from the University of Nebraska at Kearney in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

“When I first graduated, I tried to find a job and the job market is horrible,” she said. “I used to manage a consignment store in college and fell back to what I knew and loved. … There weren’t any other consignment stores in this town. I saw a need for it.”

So she moved to Wahoo and started a business here.

Other young business people have launched their operations in Wahoo as well.

Ryan Watts, 29, opened Ryan’s Repair at 207 E. Sixth St. during the first part of October.

Watts, who grew up in Wahoo, graduated from Southeast Community College at Milford in 2002 and then completed an apprentice program at Baxter Chrysler Plymouth in Omaha.

“I didn’t really care for the commute,” he said.

So he worked at the Sid Dillon Chevrolet Pontiac Buick dealership in Wahoo, first as a mechanic and later a service writer. Then came the opportunity for Watts to buy an old Conoco station.

“I bought it and jumped forward,” he said.

Business has been good.

“I was surprised to be as busy as I was right away,” he said.

Ryan Vanek has been pleased with the response to his new business, too. On Oct. 12, Vanek opened Ryan’s Body Shop at 1149 N. Chestnut St. A 1991 graduate of Prague High School, Vanek graduated from Norfolk Community College in 1993 and has been doing body work for almost 20 years.

For the last two years, he worked at the Dillons dealership. So at 36, he opened his business at which he does body repair, painting and glass work. He works on farm equipment, semis and even restores old tractors.

“I’ve been busy,” said Vanek, who has clientele from Wahoo and the surrounding communities. “So far, I’ve had a lot of positive feedback from the community.”

Vanek said the economy’s downturn hasn’t affected him.

“It (business) started out better than I first anticipated,” he said.

Business at Midwest Respiratory Care started out slowly, but has been steady since it opened Oct. 31 at 141 E. Fifth St., Suite B.

Ed DeLashmutt, 30, said customers can buy or rent home respiratory equipment such as oxygen tanks, oxygen concentrators and nebulizers. They also may purchase or rent durable medical equipment such as hospital beds, wheelchairs, walking and bath aids.

DeLashmutt and financial manager Mick Hall both live in Omaha. But Hall is from Wahoo, where his mother owns Lucille’s Gift Shop.

“She called and said there was an open bay, next to Saunders County Home Health and Hospice in downtown Wahoo,” DeLashmutt said.

So the men went and looked at the space and saw a need for this type of business.

“People in Wahoo either had to go to Fremont, Lincoln or Omaha and therefore we figured with the population of that town and the size of the hospital, there was definitely a need,” he said, adding, “There’s an aging population in the smaller towns and they don’t have as many options as Omaha, where there’s plenty of options for medical equipment.”

Two employees, one of whom works full time, are employed at the business.

To DeLashmutt and Hall having a business in Wahoo makes sense. Hall can see why people would come to Wahoo to start a business.

“A lot of people go back to get away from the rat race of a bigger city,” he said. “When I come back, the pace is a little different, which is kind of a nice thing.”

Didier agrees.

“I lived in Lincoln for six months before this and there was too much hustle going on,” she said. “Here, everything is a bit slower and people are more respectful when they come in.”

Ryan Watts also notices a difference in clientele.

“I worked in a larger city and people in Omaha are on the go, go, go,” he said. “They’re always in a hurry and have to have their stuff done right now and if you don’t get it done, they’re upset,” he said. “In a small town, most people are more relaxed and laid back. There’s times when they think they have to have it immediately, but you don’t see that near as much.”

Doug Watts sees other reasons why young business and other professional people are returning to Wahoo.

“We are very lucky that we have a lot of young people who come back,” he said. “A lot of that is due to our location. … We’re 20 to 30 minutes from Lincoln and Omaha and 20 minutes from Fremont. There are a lot of choices there.”

For instance, young Wahoo residents might opt to attend a University of Nebraska-Lincoln football game or a rock concert at Omaha’s Qwest Center, he said.

Watts also notes that a certain type of young business person is moving to Wahoo.

“We don’t attract people who grew up in Omaha or Lincoln,” he said. “It’s the people who have moved from small towns to Lincoln or Omaha and when they start having families, they want to get back to a small town, because that’s what they’re used to.”

Another factor is bringing people to Wahoo.

“We have two exceptional school systems (Wahoo Public and St. Wenceslaus/Bishop Neumann),” Watts said. “That draws a lot of these families.”

Whatever the reason, Watts is pleased.

“We’re fortunate, because many towns are losing their youth and we seem to be keeping ours,” he said. “We know we’re lucky.”

Now, those starting businesses in Wahoo are already looking ahead to the future.

Didier said she hopes to keep growing her business, finding new consignors and customers.

DeLashmutt also looks forward to future growth.

“Wahoo is a growing town and I see us growing with it,” he said.