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How a little bit of Germany survives and thrives in Eustis ...
This is the story of how a Nebraska town with a German heritage wanted a place to buy German folk carvings, German crystal, German sausage and other German treasures, and how they took the bull by the horns and made it happen.
The town is Eustis, a picturesque community in South Central Nebraska, set in a region of rills, canyons and lakes. Founded in the late 1880s by immigrants mostly from Stuttgart, Germany, the town still has a number of direct descendents of those hearty settlers. Given that, it’s no wonder Eustis honors its German heritage with an annual affair drawing thousands of visitors from all over Nebraska.
At the Wurst Tag (Sausage Day) celebration each June in Eustis, revelers dine on German-style sausage, beer and pretzels, and dance the night away under the stars to German polkas. Eustis has plenty of reminders of its heritage, including a German deli and a German bakery, but until 1993, it had no German gift shop.
What it did have was an activist Chamber of Commerce and two members willing to give it a try.
“Monika and I belonged to the Eustis Chamber of Commerce at a time when some members of the Chamber decided Eustis needed a gift store,” says Jan Yeutter- Jurjens. “The Chamber launched us with a $600 investment, and when we turned a profit, we paid back their loan.”
Jan and her partner Monika Jurjens started Der Deutsche Markt with an inventory they thought would appeal to the descendents of Eustis’ early settlers as well as others: hand-carved nutcrackers, beer steins, cuckoo clocks, German crystal, sausages, chocolates, knives and a variety of German Christmas ornaments and nativity scenes. Today they import some products directly from suppliers in Germany and attend gift shows in Denver and Kansas City for the rest.
'We're small and we like it that way'
“Eustis is a small community, so we are not open year ‘round,” says Jan Yeutter-Jurjens.
Der Deutsche Markt opens for business in October and stays open through the holidays in December. Then it closes until May, when it opens its doors for the six weeks leading up to Wurst Tag. At other times, the store opens on request. “If people need gifts in between, we open,” Jan says.
“Sometimes our store seems more like a public service than a business because we appreciate living in Eustis, and we really enjoy meeting and talking with our customers,” says Yeutter-Jurjens. “My partner and I like working together and we both like the retail business, and since it is not full time, we don’t feel chained to our jobs.”
Asked what she likes best about the business, she replies: “The most rewarding aspect of our business is our partnership. We talk and figure out how much we need to buy at market and the items we want to stock. We never argue. If one likes a specific product and the other is uncertain, we back off and think about it awhile. If the other feels strongly about buying it, we get it, and laugh together if it sells. We laugh often. We are retail-wise and friend-wise. We’re small and we like it that way.”
How to succeed in (small) business
Der Deutsche Markt has a diversified inventory that tries to offer a little something for everyone.
“We sell gifts in nearly every price range because we want to have nice things appropriate for weddings and anniversaries, but we still want children to find an affordable gift for their parents at our store,” says Jan.
“We specialize in packing and mailing our own gift baskets, and we send them as nearby as local nursing homes and as far away as Hawaii, New York, California.” The gift baskets often include German sausages made in Eustis.
The partners especially appreciate meeting and getting to know their customers many of whom return year after year to purchase gifts for special occasions. “An 83-year- old McCook resident comes to Eustis every December to select Christmas gifts for her family,”said Jan. “We wrap and mail the gifts to all of her family members.”
One expects a gift from Der Deutsche Markt always elicits smiles and expressions of delight, because as Jan says, “We wrap every gift, no matter its cost, as beautifully as if it were a $500 gift.”
In the age of Wal-Mart and other “big box” retailers, it is challenging to attract and keep local customers, Yeutter-Jurjens says.
“You can’t afford to have a bad day in retail; you have to always maintain a fresh and positive attitude. Our customers are our friends, and we interact with everyone like a friend.”
To succeed in retail, she says, you have to understand it requires foresight, a willingness to take risk, and stamina.
“We feel relieved to close after Christmas, but we always look forward to opening again in May,” Yeutter-Jurjens says.
Who To Contact...
Der Deutsche Market
Jan Yeutter Jurjens and Monika Jurjens
105 N. Maine
Eustis, NE 69028
308-486-5344
janyeutter@atcjet.net
www.DerDeutscheMarkt.com
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