“Our Main Street is actually operating at 100% — we have no vacancies –which is kind of exciting,” she said. “This hasn’t been done in over 10 years. All of our buildings are occupied.”

The Coop Retreat, TFD Film Studio and the Conrad Coffee Cup opened in 2024. Late last year, Something to Share flower and gift shop became Black Dirt Blooms and is under new ownership.

“I think there’s a new age of business owners coming up where it’s kind of like the turning of the tide where the younger people are staying, they’re not moving away anymore. They’re building homes. They’re staying in the communities where they graduated from. You’re seeing it more often,” she said.

Wilson assumed duties as Conrad Chamber-Main Street’s executive director last July and co-owns the Conrad Coffee Shop alongside husband Julian. Currently, she’s waiting to hear back on grant applications for a variety of projects, with results likely coming in March or April.

“We have a few out there that fingers crossed will go through. One’s for the T-Mobile grant. It’s for the pickleball courts. We’re doing a joint venture with Beaman, with the Wolf Creek Pickleball Club,” she said.

The club started in August 2024 with the goal of fundraising for both towns to have new and improved pickleball courts with the goal of raising $75,000 to complete Conrad’s courts and to resurface and enhance the ones in Beaman.

Wilson is finalizing an Alliant Energy grant for new LED lighting for downtown lamppost décor.

“Eventually, when Alliant goes through town this summer, it will re-run lines, taking out some of the old corroded poles so we can start adding that down Center Street so our whole district is lit up for holidays and things like that,” she said.

She is also working on vinyl banners for bridges downtown, with a focus on local service members.

t-r photo by robert maharry A sign on the west edge of town welcomes visitors and residents to Conrad, which is located about 13 miles north of Marshalltown in southern Grundy County.

“It would be their name and photo of different people who have served our country. More of a veteran memorial. That is in the works,” she noted.

Origin Homes will be building five homes in the new Catherine Farmer Addition over the next three years. Tax rebates are available. Groundbreaking is expected to happen in the spring.

Securing funding sources is a year-round endeavor. And she adds, Conrad being both a Main Street community and Chamber of Commerce opens up more possibilities. Conrad has been a Main Street community since 1991. While Conrad saw a major revitalization of its downtown in 2012-13, there is more work to be done.

“We have a few older buildings that are in desperate need of tuckpointing, which is where they take out the mortar between the layers of bricks and replace it,” she said. “It’s a very tedious job, but that is the forward focus over the next five years, really preserving our buildings that were built in the 1800s.”

Conrad Chamber-Main Street uses the National Main Street Center’s Four-Point Approach to boost the local economy and preserve historic charm:

• Organization: Building partnerships and a strong community vision

• Promotion: Showcasing downtown’s unique character through events and marketing

• Design: Preserving historic buildings and enhancing public spaces

• Community Development: Supporting local businesses and addressing community needs

Upcoming events will be the CCMS Easter Eggtravaganza egg hunt starting at 10 a.m. on April 12. It will take place at the BCLUW Elementary School for ages 2 through fourth grade. The popular citywide garage sales are slated for April 25 and 26 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Registration opened Feb. 14.

The 2025 Black Dirt Days will have the theme “Born in the USA” and will run June 13 and 14.

Wilson said she’s dedicated the month of February to spotlighting Conrad businesses that are either home or online-based.

“It’s been getting great feedback. Some people didn’t even know they existed in their town,” she said.

As executive director, Wilson is also focused on maintaining and adding childcare options in the community.

“It’s a great place to live, work and play. Conrad has a lot to offer. We have a great school. We have a lot of agricultural businesses, and we bring quite a few people to Conrad to work with our industry as well,” she said. “People are liking that more small town feel.”

That small town feel, she adds, isn’t just antique shops and boutiques. For instance, Hen & Chicks Studio offers a quilting and scrapbooking retreat and retail destination that draws international customers.

“We always want to stick to our roots and continue to develop and move with technology and where families are going. But you don’t really have to leave Conrad that often. We have a small grocery store, a hardware store (and) auto parts. A little bit for everybody,” she said.

While tuckpointing is not a glamorous process, it does help ensure historic buildings will remain standing one hundred years from now.

“There is that aesthetic when you see (that) something is over 140 years old. It’s our history and we can’t lose that. It’s part of what makes any Main Street community unique. Save those buildings,” Wilson said.