New Businesses and Opportunities Coming to Downtown Vergas

By Heather Rule

Mike and Joy Summers started Summers Construction nearly 20 years ago, and they each obtained their real estate licenses a few years ago, too. As their business has grown, the housing and real estate businesses fit so well together that the couple decided to open a new design center in downtown Vergas.

Building a design center in Vergas seemed like a natural fit, Joy Summers said. “We typically meet with a client and go to several different locations,” Joy Summers said. “It saves everyone time and money if we bring it all into one place.” An inhouse designer and staff walk customers through the process of choosing what’s best for either their new house or re-model project. Located at 100 South Railway Avenue, construction started in fall 2021 with the goal of a spring 2022 opening.

The building will house a real estate office – they work with REMAX Lakes Region – plus the design center where “people can go and pick out everything they need for a house in one place,” Joy Summers said. It will include a full kitchen, flooring options, some appliances, shingles, siding, spray-foam insulation and exterior rock options, as a few examples.

“A lot of times, things for your house can be really daunting,” Joy Summers said. “It’s really more about your tastes. But it’s nice to have somebody there to bounce ideas off of and to come up with ideas that fit what you’re going for.”

The real benefit is the one-stop-shop for customers, something they might not think about as a helpful factor, according to Joy Summers.

“Houses are often the single-largest purchase that people will make in their lifetimes, and that holds a lot of weight in people’s lives,” Joy Summers said. “To be able to make the process easier for them… it’s so much fun to walk people through that process and to help them see the change and make them feel more comfortable in their own homes.”

Multiple Businesses in One Spot

Since Goodman’s Supermarket closed in 2016, Vergas has been without a grocery store. But Jeff Zitzow, owner of Zitzow Electric, and Tyler Schmid, of Franklin Fence Co., purchased and tore down the old grocery store to construct a new building with multiple businesses, including a grocery store.

The building, located at 105 East Main Street, will also include a workout facility and hair salon. The second floor will house seven apartments, with an additional apartment on the main floor. Two other commercial spaces are being rented to occupants.

Zitzow and Schmid are both originally from Vergas. Zitzow said their grandparents always helped out the city, so “I guess we just thought the same way,” Zitzow said.

Construction started in November 2021 with hopes of having the grocery store open by this summer (2022), Zitzow said. “I think it’s going to be great for the area,” Zitzow said. “Every community needs its own grocery store. This offers more opportunities for people in the Vergas area.