When One Door Closes, Another Opens

CRESCO - Howard County’s longtime community institution, The County Store, will be dissolved on December 31, 2025, and its remaining funds will be distributed to a broad array of local charities. The former storefront has already changed hands and has opened under new ownership as the Midwest Artisan’s Group (M.A.G.), a year‑round artisan marketplace with plans for classes and live demonstrations in the future.

Howard County 

Charitable Projects 

(The County Store)

The County Store will cease operations and be formally dissolved on December 31, 2025. As part of its wind‑down, the organization announced that remaining monies will be donated to local beneficiaries serving emergency services, culture, recreation and community needs. Named recipients include the Cresco, Chester, Elma, Lime Springs and Protivin firefighter departments; the Howard County Historical Society; the Howard County Agricultural Society (The Mighty Howard County Fair); Driftrunners; the Don Davis Good Samaritan Fund; Lime Springs Pool; Schley Fest; the Jessie Milz Cancer Fund; the Wapsi Great Western Line Trail; the Special Needs Association; and the Cresco Texaco Restoration project. The distribution is intended to support volunteer emergency responders, preserve local history, bolster agricultural and community events, maintain recreational facilities, advance trail and restoration projects, and assist health‑related and special‑needs services across Howard County

M.A.G. (Midwest Artisan’s Group)

   The building that housed The County Store was purchased in late June by Mike Magler, who paid the highest sealed bid to acquire the property and has since established the Midwest Artisan’s Group (M.A.G.) in that location. Magler initially purchased the building with the intention to use the rear of the property as a car shop but sought a more meaningful purpose for the front retail space. After originally considering an antique shop, he had a gut feeling that wouldn’t work out well. A conversation with a local bed‑and‑breakfast owner convinced him that the community would welcome a higher-end space for paintings and/or jewelry. Putting a spin on the suggestion, Magler thought the better of just buying merchandise to resell like many retailers, he wanted to do something different. Instead, he decided to start forming M.A.G. as a venue where local artisans can display and sell their creations, keeping revenue in local hands while still offering a large array of goods that residents and visitors to the community would enjoy.

   Magler recruited talent from craft shows, individual outreach and personal visits to artisans’ homes, assembling a diverse group of makers. “We truly are trying to get the A-Z, I’m trying to make it so that when the shop is full, it doesn’t matter when you walk in the door, I want there to be absolutely something you can’t leave here without.” says Magler. The shop is set up so that Artisans either rent booth space at a reasonable rate or participate through commission arrangements. He says that he is willing to work with the artisans who want to display in M.A.G.

   The shop is currently about two-thirds full, with four additional vendors expected to join by the end of the month and a goal of recruiting roughly 11 more. Magler is strict on maintaining careful curation to avoid excessive overlap in merchandise types; he jokes, “We don’t want seven soap makers all in the same space.” M.A.G.’s mission is to create an affordable and inclusive space so that many of our local artisans can participate, and shoppers will always find something unique. Magler adds , “The whole idea here is to try to get as many artisans in here as possible so we can showcase what we have for local talent and to make it affordable so that everybody can be here.” He emphasized the local economic impact: sales revenue flows back into the community and is re-spent locally, “The cool part is it’s all local people, so that the money that goes towards the sales goes to people’s pockets that are local, which gets spent local, and it just keeps going round and round”.

   M.A.G. will operate year-round, with future hopes to develop classes. Magler would like glass blowing and ceramics instruction to start first. Possible other future classes would include jewelry making, woodworking, and more – most would depend on which artisans would be interested in running classes. With plenty of space inside the building, the possibilities are abundant. Magler adds, “One cool thing about this building is that it contains a vault that was installed when the city previously owned the property.” He envisions converting that secure vault space into a glass-blowing studio where artisans can work, and the public could come in to take lessons or even watch live demonstrations.

   With holiday shopping in full swing, M.A.G. offers another amazing location in downtown Cresco for shoppers to browse. Offering an ever-changing selection of locally made gifts perfect for giving and discovering something one‑of‑a‑kind. M.A.G. adds not just one but over 20 more possibilities to shop local!