THE FOLLOWING IS THIS WEEK’S “I AM, YOU ARE, WE ARE” HONOREE FROM ASHTON GREEN AND NICOLE VAN HYFTE:
We all have many opinions about our downtown areas in Vermilion County. But how many of us are actually stepping up and doing something to improve them? Emily Brown is, and she is this week’s “I am, you are, we are” spotlight.
Emily is a generational Hoopeston resident. She recalls her son’s recent senior night and how awesome it was to have four generations of Cornjerkers there to support him. In fact, that was at the same school where she met her husband, Bob, and started dating him her junior year. They got married right after graduating and have now been married for 26 years.
Once Emily and Bob started having kids, Emily had a deep desire to make sure she taught her kids everything she knew and to give them a great life. She immediately started taking classes and opened the Small Wonders pre-school out of her home where her husband later built a separate building for. Bob also started “Built 2 Last Construction” around the same time, and they realized their entrepreneurial abilities. From there, Emily donated Small Wonders to the Presbyterian Church, and she went to work at Maple Grade School in Hoopeston, teaching first grade. After three years of teaching, she became the curriculum director.
While Emily was teaching, Bob’s business was starting to become very successful, and they began flipping houses. While flipping houses, they started to get into the historical significance of the downtown businesses. That’s when they purchased 201 East Main.
The historical downtown building has four apartments above it…that is where Emily and Bob began. “We cleaned them up, we got really good renters, and we love the space. It is super downtown-y,” Emily said. Then they needed to come up with what to do with the downstairs space. Bob and their sons have always been into sports cards and memorabilia. So, they decided to start their own card shop after always traveling to find specific cards. Bricks and Ivy was born in May of 2017. On top of their incredible stock and unique items, the store has brought in 36 athletes and actors for signings and an enhanced fan experience to downtown Hoopeston.
Emily spent a lot of weekends working at the store and would look out the window and dream about what downtown could be. She spent countless hours staring at 110 and 112 East Main. “Those buildings could be so cute.” So, they inquired and found out who owned them, and they bought them.
Through their construction business, they were able to really fix them up. They weren’t sure what to do with them, but after doing research they decided every successful downtown needs a coffee shop. Emily’s mom owns a coffee and wine shop in Florida. So once they got the idea and the vision for the building, it all came together. They now own and operate 112 Wine and Coffee Shoppe. And the business just keeps growing. They have added food, gaming, a patio, and plan to expand the patio this summer and offer live music.
Upon opening the shoppe, and being so successful, Emily decided to leave the school district. “It wasn’t my intention, but it became clear that I was needed here, and I’m really happy with that decision.” While Emily really misses her “kids” and her people at the district, she is still able to keep up with them through the café. “There’s just a type of relationship you make when you serve people coffee. Our customers are our family. We care about them. They care about us.”
Since opening 112 Wine and Coffee, Bob and Emily have purchased two more downtown buildings – one to host events, signings, and card shows, and one to use as their “satellite kitchen” for the coffee and wine shoppe. The family business continues to grow, and they have all three of their children and their son-in-law working for them. “We just want them to be happy and be near us. So now we are all happy,” Emily said.
Emily continues to be a big part of the community and loves to support local businesses. “There’s a lot to do in our small town. You can make yourself very happy and entertained in our county. There’s always something to do and always something to be involved in.”
Thank you, Emily, for being so inspiring, and for putting your heart into the Hoopeston downtown. Your legacy will be remembered for the great things you and your family do to improve the quality of life in our community.
If you have someone you would like to share,
visit https://forms.gle/deCPiQ1cxn1pDLhZ9
or contact Ashton Greer, City of Danville agreer@cityofdanville.org or
Nicole Van Hyfte, Vermilion Advantage nvanhyfte@vermilionadvantage.com.
