Mt. Morris farmers bringing butcher shop, bakery and restaurant to the downtown

MT. MORRIS – Josh Nelson farms the land right next to Jeff Warren’s orchard north of the village.

This year, they’ll be starting a business together that they hope will revitalize Mt. Morris, starting with its downtown.

Wesley 1895 will consist of a butcher shop and bakery, and later, a farm-to-table restaurant.

The pair bought 13 S. Wesley Ave., which includes the adjacent lot where the Penner building is located, in a deal facilitated by the village board, and $1.1 million will be invested in the development of the business.

“There’s a risk here, but I think this community deserves a business and marketplace like this,” Nelson said. “This is to revitalize the Mt. Morris community. If we’re the next step, that’s what I want to do. I was raised here. I want to see it prosper and do well.”

The two won’t be straying far from their areas of expertise: Nelson Family Farms and Warren’s BerryView Orchard are community staples.

Nelson, who noticed flaws in the food supply chain during the COVID-19 pandemic, will lean on his livestock experience. He wants to get more local products to the community after conversations he has had with area residents.

As a small livestock producer, Nelson saw meat packing plants close, leaving producers high and dry with delays and decreased return on investment.

“There are fewer and fewer places taking livestock. I want to change that and bring power back to the consumer. I have a lot of conversations with the older generation. The relationship they built with a butcher shop – I want to get back to that. Convenience. Knowing where your food comes from.”

The pair decided to go into business together after the village’s economic development group noticed they had similar desires and put them in touch. Conversations have gone on for nearly 2 years.

Warren said a part of him is glad those conversations took a bit, because now the business won’t be trying to open in the heart of the pandemic.

The pair have learned from the pandemic and plan to incorporate those lessons into Wesley 1895.

“We can design more toward COVID-19-friendly practices like drive-up and having space for social distancing,” Warren said. “Things that may be part of our world’s new way of life.”

They also plan to have outdoor seating for the restaurant, given its proximity to downtown events like the summers’ Kable Band concerts. They both have fond memories of those nights.

“Every Wednesday as a child I’d go and watch the Kable band play,” Nelson said. “It’s a perfect little spot. I want to highlight that and be a part of it. Down the road, I want every building in that area to be full of life. We’ll offer another experience.”

The restaurant will have seasonal menus highlighting area fruits, vegetables and ag producers. They want to stay away from processed and packaged foods.

Customers may see asparagus first, then peppers and tomatoes. Maybe fresh lamb, too. The menus will be small, and provide “a unique culinary experience,” Nelson said.

“People may go in without knowing what’s on the menu. We want to do the small things great. That’s the vision.”

The village will be reimbursing Wesley 1895 $200,000 in TIF money during the development, which Warren called “instrumental” and said will help with the visuals, structure and “bones” of the building.

Nelson and Warren intend to complete the renovation in time for Labor Day in September. They’ve spent the past couple of weekends filling dumpsters and prepping for renovations.

Something they found in initial visits to the properties inspired its name.

“We were brainstorming,” Warren said. “It’s on Wesley Avenue. There was a cement stone engraved with 1895. That’s when it was built. That sounded good.”