Bringing life back to Main Street, one Saturday at a time.
I love small-town living. Especially Unadilla, Nebraska.
It is where my husband and I planted our roots. It is where we started our family and brought our first son home. It is where we are planning to build our forever home on an acreage. This community has become part of our family’s story, and that is one of the many reasons it matters so much to me.
As a REALTOR®, I have the privilege of helping people buy and sell homes. But what I really love is helping people find a place where they truly love where they live. A home is so much more than four walls. It is the people, the sense of belonging, the memories you make, and the community that surrounds you.
That is what makes a small town special. And it is why I started Small Town Saturdays.
What if we could bring a little more life back to Main Street?
Over the years I have watched a lot of small-town Main Streets get quieter. It is understandable. Larger cities offer more shopping, more restaurants, more entertainment, and more to do than most rural communities can. Most of us make those trips from time to time.
But I kept asking myself the same question. What if we could bring a little more life back to Main Street? Not by trying to compete with bigger cities. Just by giving people another reason to spend a Saturday morning close to home.
Unadilla is a small town. We have a gas station, a bar and grill, a bank, a post office, and an esthetics studio. That is part of the charm. It also means there are not many places to gather on a Saturday morning or shop local.
So what if, once a month, we brought that experience to Main Street? Fresh coffee. Local small businesses. Friendly faces. A reason to slow down, walk the block, support local entrepreneurs, reconnect with neighbors, and meet other people who love small-town living.
That simple idea became the foundation for Small Town Saturdays.
It was never meant to be just another market
The vision was to create an opportunity. For small businesses and for our community, both at once.
There are so many talented entrepreneurs around here creating incredible products out of their homes, garages, kitchens, and workshops. A lot of them are not in a position to afford a storefront yet. That does not make their businesses any less deserving of support.
Small Town Saturdays gives them a place to introduce themselves, grow, make sales, build relationships, and become part of the community.
At the same time, it gives the rest of us a chance to shop local without leaving town. Instead of automatically driving to a larger city for something to do on a Saturday morning, we can spend a few hours right here. Supporting small businesses. Discovering products we did not know existed. Meeting the people behind them.
When we support small businesses, we are supporting families. We are supporting dreams. And we are investing back into the communities we call home.
The part I did not expect
One of my favorite parts has been watching complete strangers become friends.
- Neighbors reconnecting on the sidewalk.
- Local businesses cheering each other on instead of competing.
- Customers discovering products they never knew existed.
- Families making Small Town Saturdays part of their monthly routine.
Those moments remind me this has never really been about shopping. It is about creating a place where people want to gather. It is about helping entrepreneurs grow. It is about supporting local businesses, building relationships, and creating traditions.
And ultimately, it is about bringing life back to Main Street.
How this connects to real estate
People ask me all the time how Small Town Saturdays connects to my real estate business. To me the connection is simple.
Helping someone buy or sell a home is one chapter of the story. Helping them love where they live is the bigger picture.
A thriving community does not happen by accident. It happens when people choose to show up. When they support local businesses. When they know their neighbors. When they have reasons to spend time together. Those are the things that make people proud to call a place home, and they are the same reasons I am passionate about real estate and about Small Town Saturdays.
Whether I am handing someone the keys to their first home or helping organize another Saturday on Main Street, the goal is the same. Help people love where they live.
We are still just getting started
I am grateful to every small business owner, volunteer, sponsor, neighbor, and community member who believed in this from the beginning. Small Town Saturdays would not exist without all of you.
Every event teaches us something new. Every month brings new ideas, new partnerships, and new chances to keep bringing life back to Main Street.
My hope is that when people think about Small Town Saturdays, they do not just think about shopping. They think about community. They think about supporting local. They think about slowing down. They think about seeing familiar faces and meeting new ones. They think about why they love living in a small town.
Because that is what Small Town Saturdays has always been about. Helping people love where they live, one Saturday at a time.
Questions people ask
What is Small Town Saturdays?
Small Town Saturdays is a monthly Saturday morning market on Main Street in Unadilla, Nebraska. Local small businesses set up, neighbors come out, and the block turns into a place to gather. I started it to give people another reason to spend a Saturday morning close to home instead of driving to a bigger city.
Where and when is Small Town Saturdays held?
It happens on Main Street in Unadilla, in Otoe County, about forty minutes southeast of Lincoln. It runs once a month on a Saturday morning. Dates get announced ahead of each event, so the easiest way to catch the next one is to reach out and I will make sure you know when it is.
How do I become a vendor at Small Town Saturdays?
Reach out and tell me what you make. Small Town Saturdays was built for people running a business out of a home, a garage, a kitchen, or a workshop, not just people with a storefront. If you have been thinking about trying it, that is usually a sign you should. I will walk you through what a spot looks like.
Do I have to live in Unadilla to come?
Not at all. People come from the surrounding towns and from Lincoln. That is part of the point. A Saturday morning on Main Street is a pretty good way to get a feel for a town you have been curious about living in.
Why does a real estate agent run a community market?
Because a house is only part of the decision. People stay where they feel like they belong. I would rather help build the kind of community people want to move to than just sell houses in it. Helping people love where they live is the whole job as far as I am concerned.
Come find us on Main Street
Whether you want to set up a booth, bring the family out for a Saturday morning, or you are just curious about what living in a small town east of Lincoln actually looks like, I would love to hear from you.