Wesley 1895, a new farm-to-table butcher shop, bakery, restaurant and event space at 13 S. Wesley Ave. in Mt. Morris, held a soft opening July 3.
The butcher shop will have fresh meat in the coming weeks and frozen meat is currently available. The restaurant will open in the coming months, owners Jeff Warren and Josh Nelson said July 16.
“The soft opening was our first of many steps when you start looking at the concept of the entire business and having multiple profit centers and entities under one roof,” Nelson said. “We have one profit center open now. There are a lot more to come. It’s gratifying to finally welcome the public into what we offer and we’re excited about what’s to come.”
The business has come to fruition, six years after the Mt. Morris Economic Development Corporation brought Warren and Nelson together and they approached the owner of the empty downtown building and purchased it.
The downtown building, which was vacant for more than 10 years, has seen a complete revitalization and modernization. The location was previously a pharmacy. Nelson said the pre-1900 building saw a studs-up remodel and modernization.
Nelson and Warren, both Mt. Morris residents, have farming backgrounds. Nelson Family Farms and Warren’s BerryView Orchard are community staples.
Warren said Wesley 1895’s farm-to-table focus aims to reach out to the entire region, with a movement toward people wanting to shop local more and know where their food comes from. Nelson wants the venture to be for all farmers in Northern Illinois. He wants to provide an outlet for as many producers as possible, whether it’s vegetables, produce, meat, grain or otherwise.
“We want to have locally sourced items that we personally know how and where they were raised and that they meet standards,” Nelson said. “Because the consumer wants to interact with who is raising and growing what they’re eating. It’s about getting to a public space where we can meet the consumer as producers. It’s an opportunity for us to go directly to the consumer and share what we do and give them another opportunity or outlet for the products.”
Nelson doesn’t know of many other, if any, business models that are like Wesley 1895 in the region. He and Warren want the shop to become a destination and draw people to Mt. Morris. Nelson was born and raised in Mt. Morris and Warren has been a resident for almost 40 years.
For Mt. Morris, the co-owners want to be part of continued economic growth locally while reaching out to customers of the region.
“For Mt. Morris, this is about a renewed business opportunity and revitalization for the downtown area,” Nelson said. “We’re part of creating a snowball effect. We’re not the first and we won’t be the last. We’re just part of that growth curve. Being born and raised in Mt. Morris, I take great pride in having the opportunity to give back to and be part of that transformation in a positive manner.”
The past six years have been a labor of love for Warren and Nelson, navigating the COVID-19 pandemic along with ups and downs and delays. They’re happy to now see employees coming in each day and sold products going out the door.
Nelson thanked the community, including the village, MMEDC, lenders, contractors and customers, for their support over the past six years. Wesley 1895’s Facebook page will have the latest updates on the opening of the butcher shop and restaurant, along with a future outdoor patio.
“The community has been a tremendous lifeline for us,” Nelson said. “Every single person that has interacted with this has played a vital part in our success to get to this point. The community is going to tell us what it’s looking for. The best thing we’ve tried to do is remain flexible. Everyone sees opportunity in this community in different places. We want to provide some of those things that are missing.”
Warren said the upstairs event space at Wesley 1895 can be used for small weddings, anniversary parties, class reunions, proms and more. Nelson said the diverse business will allow it to maximize business all year long.
“The restaurant will be receiving all of its bread from the in-house bakery,” Nelson said. “The restaurant will serve steaks that were cut here. The butcher shop will sell buns as well as meat. Everything will overlap. My great-grandfather said that diversity will help in the long run. We have a very diverse business because we know the year is not constant.”
Warren thanked Wesley 1895’s staff for their work so far and being receptive to the new business model. He and Nelson are working to provide the community and region with something that’s never been seen before.
“I’m excited to give community members and the region an experience like no other,” Nelson said. “Everyone has a love affair with food. Significant milestones are usually paired with eating and food. It helps enhance those memories. I think this business has the opportunity to raise those expectations and those milestones.”
Dining and Cooking