New Store Openings On An Uptick In Downtown Fayette

In Iowa’s small towns, residents and visitors can feel the loss of even just a few businesses.In Fayette, with a population near 1,400, 10 downtown businesses closed over a short time around 2014. Mayor Andrew Wenthe said the closures were mostly coincidental, including some resulting from business owners retiring. But he said he believed Fayette officials still needed be active in ensuring the city’s three-block main street area had more to offer than a string of empty storefronts.