The Dec. 21 announcement of the sale of Robson’s Card and Gift shop to Raised Rustic is welcome news for Ellsworth.

We are so excited to see new owners acquire a downtown anchor business. We also wish Ken and Alice Robson a well-deserved retirement.

The good news in this situation is that the new owners, Olivia and Trent Stevenson, are familiar faces. They also have several years of downtown Ellsworth retail experience under their belts. This is exceedingly welcome news.

Ellsworth, like small towns across rural Kansas, needs anchor businesses to remain open. We need new, young, investors to come into our community and help us continue to be vibrant. We know the Stevensons can do just that.

Will this change be “perfect?” There’s no such thing. New ownership will mean changes and adjustments. We encourage our county residents to allow Olivia and Trent the space to make those decisions as they grow into their new space and new business. Please continue to support and patronize all of our local business owners. Without local support, they will shrivel, and we need them to continue so our rural community can grow and thrive.

Speaking of rural communities, Ellsworth County has many opportunities as a whole. Of course, we have Munchkinz and Sugar Shack for sale in Ellsworth, but there are abundant options in other towns in our county. Holyrood has C&Vs for sale, as well as the previous K-jack building. Additionally, Wilson has many build-to-suit openings downtown.

In the Nov. 23 edition of the I-R, we ran an opinion piece from Greg Doering with the Kansas Farm Bureau. He talked about how the “dream” for his family was for him to grow up and depart his rural community. Yet, as rural communities are shriveling, it is imperative that we write new dreams for our youth and young adults. We encourage them to go and embrace the educational experience that is right for them. But we also share with them why our rural communities are amazing places to raise families. We let them fly, but we create safe nests for them to return home to.

New business owners help provide quality of life for our rural communities. Let’s all encourage new owners, but also reach out to our college students and remind them that rural Ellsworth County is a vibrant, wonderful place to live and prosper.

Karen Bonar Publisher