Trio of businesses working under one roof downtown

Last week was a big week for downtown as the “new” Kasson Variety Store opened up along with two other businesses housed under the same roof, Jan’s Costumes of Kasson and Kasson Laser Graphics. The Kasson Chamber of Commerce celebrated the event with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Sept. 29 followed by an afterhour’s social. Candy McKern owns the Variety Store and Jan’s Costumes and John and Patty Jo Hanson own Kasson Laser Graphics. All three owners think the new location will offer exposure to their businesses and that each of them will in turn complement each other. McKern decided to purchase the Variety Store after previous owner Lynn Sturgis, who owned the store for 29 years, put it up for sale. “We thought it would be a good mix with the costume shop. Plus I just love the store,” she said. The new variety store, McKern says, will sell fabrics, crafts, school supplies, greeting cards and some toys, but will no longer sell housewares and clothing. Even though the store is under new ownership, the same seven employees were all able to keep their jobs. “We tried to do what you can’t find in Dodge County; I think we are the only one for fabrics and crafts in the county,” she said. “We would love for it to grow and for it to be a destination for the whole area.”