Christmas Letter 2019

Dear Friends,

Christmas is fast approaching and every year, it seems like the span from mid-November to Christmas goes at rocket speed.  It should be a time of year for reflection, gratitude, and peace, and it is - but so many things seem to get in the way of it with gift buying, decorating, parties, etc.  I always want to hit the pause button during this time of year.

For me - I’ve recently also wanted to be very transparent with my current journey, in particular, my downtown efforts.  It was suggested that I should write a series of blog posts to share these thoughts...and I might, but I’m at least going to use the opportunity of my annual Christmas letter to shed some light on my efforts.

I guess it has been eight years now since I moved from Nashville - a city that I loved - to return to my hometown.  God has a funny way of leading us on the plan that He has made for us, sometimes requiring baby steps and “temporary” situations to get you warmed up to the move that He just had you make.  He brought me back to Carterville for a six-month consulting project for the city (and I planned to return to Nashville as soon as it was completed).  After six months, that turned into renewing another six-month contract.  Then a marketing position became available at a large Southern Illinois company, Banterra Bank, and God nudged me to apply for it and I felt like He was telling me, “Even if you get it, you don’t have to stay, just try it.”  And here I am...still.

So in those eight years of being here, I’ve been renovating - something.  I started with Carterville Heritage Museum. 

Then I bought a building next door because it was just easier to have it during renovation and I thought maybe our town could use a bakery.  I still didn’t think I’d stay - just do this for a while, sell it and go back to Nashville. 

But during this time, I started to look at houses that I might want to renovate.  Something small that I can live in while I’m here - after all, I still had my Nashville house which was used as a vacation home rental.  Just do it as an investment, I told myself.  So I bought a 1921 craftsman style house on the main street in town, because I thought improving the main street would add more value to the town.

I don’t know how the funding continued to work, especially the bakery because I bought that building when I didn’t even have a full-time job yet.  But it all worked out.

Then, a couple years ago, I finally decided to sell my Nashville house. 

The real estate market was booming and I didn’t know when that would end.  I had become more comfortable with the idea that I might just stay in Southern Illinois.  I sold my Nashville house in two days, I invested a majority of it as my wise financial advisor told me to (mutual funds, etc.), but I kept a portion to start a real estate development company.  And when I say “real estate development company,” I mean - buy historic buildings in downtown Carterville - which is probably not the best financial investment that one can make, but I believe it is exactly what I was supposed to do.

I finally finished the bakery and we opened it in June 2018.  Keep in mind, opening the bakery didn’t just require funds for renovating the building, but also all of the kitchen/restaurant equipment, signs, decor, merchandise, etc.  My sister now owns the business and pays rent for the building.  

Soon after the bakery opened, I started discussions with another downtown building owner and purchased his building in November 2018.  This building is much larger; has three “store fronts” that I have combined and also  rental opportunity in the back of the building.  I’m still working on that building, but my hope is that it will serve as retail in the street front side (such as a home decor, salvage, craftsman, antique-type store), maybe a front portion can also be used as food/beverage experience; the back of the building will have a large kitchen and event space with glass garage doors and outdoor seating.  And yes - if a really good restaurant wanted to use that space instead, I would be open to it.  Actually, I’d be open to a lot of things.

Now let me say this at this point of my story - I have ZERO idea of why I’m so hung up on renovating downtown Carterville.  Seriously.  I know my family has history in the downtown.  I loved it as a child.  I know I have a career background where I saw other towns make tremendous strides with renovating their downtown area.  I also believe that a thriving downtown can stimulate so much growth to the community.  For example, wouldn’t it be easier to recruit doctors for SIH if their families could see a thriving, storybook downtown?  Or to bring visitors who might see this as a great day or weekend trip and enjoy the wineries, outdoors or antique shops also?

Still...why would I spend so much of my personal time doing this?  Yes, I love it for some reason, but I could make more money flipping houses or investing in my own home.

I will say this...I was incredibly honored this year to receive a Landmarks Illinois Richard Driehaus Foundation Award for the renovation of Rise Above It Bakery & Cafe.  The award was given to only nine recipients throughout the state, and it is a rarity for Southern Illinois.  My Mom and I made the journey to Chicago to attend the ceremony  and I told them this story when accepting the award...

When I lived in Nashville, I would come back to visit my hometown and I would drive through downtown Carterville and would see so much potential; so many things that I wanted to change.  Every time, on my trip back to Tennessee, I would create in mind what changes could be made to buildings, what businesses might work, what events would be fun for the downtown.  Often, I would pray to know God’s plan, to understand things in my career or what goal I thought I was supposed to achieve, and among those prayers were simply thoughts that it was too bad that I was not in the position to make changes in the downtown.

He - through a series of events that made no sense to me and honestly, I was not happy about - brought me back to my hometown to do what I had been dreaming about for years.  It’s not life changing; it’s not world peace or curing a disease, but for whatever reason, I know it is my purpose at this stage in my life.

The transparent part of this is...

I am wondering how I can continue these renovation efforts when I am funding the projects on my own.

There are no grants that I can find to help fund saving historic buildings.  Yes - if you are a non-profit organization, you have grant options.  Yes, if your building qualifies for National Register of Historic Places, you have grant options.  Well, I’m a private developer and there is nothing significant to the buildings in downtown Carterville that would qualify for National Register of Historic Places.  I could form a non-profit, but I’m gun shy to do that again - honestly.  I formed a non-profit - Carterville Heritage & Preservation Foundation - when I co-wrote a book for the town several years ago, but I left that board when the mission changed to focusing entirely on the museum vs. what I had hoped it would be.

So...I’m going to pay for a new roof soon for my downtown building project, and I’m going to whittle away at the next steps the best I can; but I have no desire to have a large amount of debt.  I have already put more money into the building than what I paid for it and I know - without a doubt - that we have saved this building.  It literally had exterior walls that needed to be torn down and rebuilt, steel posts had to be put in to keep up the ceiling, and new concrete floors in a majority of the building.  It’s a massive project, but it is going to be great for downtown Carterville.

Here’s what I believe.  I believe that having blind faith is important in times like this and I know that God is using the situation to show both a community and myself what He can do.  You may see me do crazy things like selling things, or posting about ways that I’ve cut back or coming up with advertising opportunities to generate more revenue.  I’ve already started to approach suppliers with giving me a discount on items or services in exchange for marketing through social network posts and signage.  I love to engage the community in efforts like this and I love not wasting stuff, so you may see me ask for old brick or scraps of wood for an idea that I have for the event center ceiling or who knows what.  If there are people out there that would be good at researching for grants or funding that I’m just missing, would love your help - find me the links/info and I’ll do the work.  If there are people that want to volunteer at the building and burn a few calories, I would not turn it down.  If there are people interested in investing in downtown or forming an investment group or just want to learn more about what I’ve learned with benefits of Enterprise Zone, TIF or the city’s facade program (they will pay interest on a loan for approved facade improvements), just let me know.  The more investors and renovators we have in downtown, the more stimulating it is for all of us who are downtown owners and merchants.

So...what on Earth does this have to do with Christmas?

For me, it is a journey with a goal in mind, trusting that God will provide along the way.  It’s also expressing my uncertainty and fear of how this will work out, yet knowing that this is God’s plan for me - for now.  That’s not much different than Joseph and Mary.  There was so much blind faith that Joseph and Mary had to have during that time - and they trusted God to provide for them and to show them the best next steps along the way.  And He did.

I don’t know what journey you’re going through, but I know all of us are on one and likely struggling as I am with thoughts like, “God, tell me again why am I doing this?” or “How am I going to make this work?”

I pray that during this Christmas season, we reflect on the opportunities that God provides to us - that may appear like struggles - but are only setting the stage for Him to show what He can do when we trust Him and stay the course.

I believe that my downtown efforts will continue and I’ll finish this building and hopefully move on to the next project.  It just may not go at the speed that I would prefer.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas, and that the New Year brings a time for all of us to rev up our engines for the path that God has in store for us.  After all, when we acknowledge Him and lean on His guidance, we know He will see us through it (Proverbs 3; 6).

Merry Christmas, friends - 

Jennifer