Brochure Offers Flavors from Nebraska Businesses
Angela Graham is the owner and founder of Graham Gallery. She is a Hastings native. Angela established her business in November of 1996. After Graduating from Hastings College in 1993 and moving around a bit, she decided to call Hastings her home.
That's the inviting line from a new "Flavors of Nebraska" brochure encouraging Nebraskans to design trips and vacations around Nebraska small businesses and products.
The brochure, available online, shows 27 stores across the state that offer a Nebraska experience or sell items produced or manufactured in Nebraska, so you can plan a trip around wine tasting, or small town galleries.
There's a bed and breakfast, plus gift shop and restaurant, in Minden called Burchell's Hill Farmhouse Inn.
Former ranch hand Kyle Rosfeld creates handmade, custom-fit cowboy and work boots at the Sandhills Boot Company in Valentine.
At Cryin Creek Candles in Weeping Water you can buy homemade candles or taste wine or micro-brewed beer in the farmer's lounge.
The brochure and yet-to-be-finished interactive Web site are part of a pilot project for GROW Nebraska, a nonprofit organization that promotes small Nebraska businesses and products.
The goal is to create a state or regional brand and provide new opportunities for small scale tourism, said Janell Anderson Ehrke, CEO of GROW Nebraska.
The promotion this year includes a Flavors of Nebraska passport, that gives people who make purchases at the businesses up to $100 to spend at participating businesses.
GROW Nebraska used a $6,800 grant to develop the brochure and a $39,000 federal grant is paying for development of an interactive Web site that should be available next year, Anderson said.
Anderson hopes to have at least 60 Nebraska businesses participating in the Flavor tour by then.
Participating businesses must meet standards, including regular hours, amenities for the public and a Web site.
The goal is to offer truly Nebraska experiences, she said.
Reach Nancy Hicks at 473-7250 or nhicks@journalstar.com.
Story by: Nancy Hicks of the Lincoln Journal Star
