966 G Street

Address: 966 G Street

Legal Description: West ½ of Lot 86

Building: Dworak Block

Note: The storefront was 48 feet wide. At times it was divided into three or more business rooms.

1872 Vacant lot.

1881 The Geneva Furniture Store owned by C. H. Bassett was located here. They advertised picture framing, coffins, and undertaking a specialty.

1881 Also located here were Mrs. Dempster’s Bakery and the Jones & Lee Millinery Shop.

1883 James H. Dempster purchased the property.

1883 In Feb., C. H. Bassett closed out his stock of furniture.

1883 A social dance was advertised to be held at Bassett’s hall, one door west of Mack’s restaurant. Tickets to the dance were 75 cents.

1883 No direct documentation, but it appears that Jones and Barry was located here while their building was being built at 836 G. They would have moved in July.

1883 John A. Dempster purchased the property from his brother, James.

1883 In March, C. C. Stone of Elgin, Illinois and brother-in-law of the Dempster brothers rented the building occupied by Bassett’s furniture store. He was to open a hardware store and tin shop as soon as the goods arrived.

1883 In June, Mr. John A. Dempster rearranged and repaired the building lately vacated by Jones & Barry. The building was to be occupied by C. C. Stone.

1883 In July, C. C. Stone opened his hardware store.

1883 In December, W. H. Pardue purchased an interest in C. C. Stone’s hardware business and hereafter the firm’s name was Stone & Pardue.

1884 In May, John A. Dempster replaced the front of the building east of the Kellogg house.

1884 In June, the firm of Stone & Pardue was dissolved by mutual consent.

1884 In June, W. H. Pardue purchased the Dempster cigar factory and planned to continue the business in Geneva.

1884 In October, C. C. Stone continued selling hardware.

1885 In February, C. H. Woodruff of Crete purchased C. C. Stone’s hardware store one door west of Dempster Bros. He was a dealer in hardware iron, nails, stoves, ranges, and tinware, guns, ammunition, plain and barb wire, table and pocket cutlery.

1886 In April, Mr. Woodruff sold his hardware business and moved to Strang.

1887 Thompson’s Restaurant, L. W. Thompson, proprietor. Second door east of the Fillmore House.

1889 In October, L. W. Thompson moved to his new location one door west of the Spear Livery Barn (996 G).

1889 Vincent and Anna Dworak purchased the lot and contracted to build a new three-story brick building with a basement here.

1889 In November, Mohrman and Arends moved here from 974 G.

1890 There was a fire in a display window at Mohrman & Arends.

1890 In May, Lefler and Kusler succeeded Thompson with a bakery and a confectionery.

1890 In September, Harry Lefler retired, leaving the bakery and confectionery to J. D. Kusler.

1890 In October, J. D. Kusler suddenly left town.

1892 Mrs. Dworak had the office rooms in her block papered.

1892 C. O. Hinthorn rented a room in the Dworak Block and went into the real estate business.

1892 The Sanborn maps showed a dry goods store in the west ½.

1897 Alice Thorpe, wife of jockey Charles Thorpe, bought this building. Alice was also the adopted daughter of C. H. Bassett. He operated a furniture business here in 1882.

1897 The Sanborn maps showed a dry goods store in the west ½.

1899 W. C. Massey opened an office in the rear rooms over Mohrman’s Store where he had a real estate and loan business.

1900 A. W. Shickley was well-known for his floral designs. He displayed a fine example in the window of Mohrman and Arends where he had a permanent position.

1901 In February Mohrman and Arends leased the new building erected by Miss Jennie Brown on the corner of Main and Court Streets (996 G Street)and moved there.

1901 In February W. I. Carson, General Merchandise, rented the west ½ of the building vacated by Mohrman & Arends. One side of the room was set up for a shoe department. They moved here from 954 G.

1922 The Sanborn maps showed a variety store here.

1933 The Sanborn maps showed a store here.

1936 The Hested Five and Dime advertised “No item in the store costs more than one dollar.”

1943 The Sanborn maps showed a store here.

1948 Harry Vanier was the manager of the Hested store.

1976 The Hested Store became a Ben Franklin Store.

1985 The Ben Franklin Store closed.

1986 Elaine’s, a variety store similar to the five and dime stores, opened. Jim and Elaine Westring of Stromsburg were the owners and operators.

1993 Elaine’s closed.

1994 Duckwall’s, a subsidiary of the ALCO chain, opened for business.

2004 In December, the Westring’s sold the property to Harold and Karen Janda.

2010 In February, the Duckwall Co. chose not to renew their lease and closed their business.

2010 In September, A Little Inspiration was opened for business. It was owned and operated by Harold and Karen Janda in conjunction with Geneva Floral. They carried merchandise from vintage to contemporary, unique gifts, home decor and scrapbooking supplies.

2020 In February, A Little Inspiration closed and the building was vacant.

2020 In August, Sally Ewalt and Cassandra Kanter purchased the building. It was called Cassally & Coffee, a boutique and coffee shop.

2022 In September, Megan Burda purchased the building and moved her home-based business here. It was called Brick Road Boutique and Coffee Bar.

This was ongoing as of the last posting.