Valor General Store, Hemingford Nebraska
Lacy and John Covey are the new owners of Valor General Store in Hemingford, Nebraska. Lacy and John took a jump out in faith, in the shaky “post-covid” economy to start up a business in rural Western Nebraska.
Lacy and John have been married 16 years and have managed a ranching operation together in the past. They are no stranger to working side-by-side for long hours and uncertain times. Lacy and John know from experience within the agricultural sector that success follows hard work. Procuring the hardware store was a challenge on its own, but taking that first step happened the “old-fashioned” way, by writing a letter to the current building owner.
After negotiating a deal for the store, the renovations began. The high cost of lumber added to the additional costs for their start-up business. They also experienced long delays for aluminum frames for the commercial glass windows. Starting a business during post-COVID was not easy, but John and Lacy stayed motivated and determined to start their business. During the wait time for supplies, they stayed busy by reaching out to wholesalers and setting up accounts. There were lots of plans to be made to determine the layout of the store and painting the interior.
John and Lacy reached out to the Nebraska Enterprise Fund for their start-up inventory loan. “Our loan officer, Tonia, was beyond helpful. She has experience dealing with small businesses every day, and she gave us some suggestions along the way. We appreciated her honesty, and how much she cared. We are thankful to NEF for our loan to make this business happen.” – Lacy Covey
The delays and backorders are still happening, Covid has affected all industries in America in one way or another. The Covey’s are a few weeks from opening now and have had tremendous community support. Their aim is to have an “old-school” general store. Some things don’t expire and can stand the test of time. Things like: faith, customer service, doing good, and working hard won’t go out of style.