By Rich Wicks | Guthrie Center Times, March 2026

Hometown Basics, 624 McPherson St. in Casey, is one of those stores that can be difficult to describe; it’s much easier to see for yourself. Owner Stacey Wedemeyer, who also runs the Casey Creamery, shared how Hometown Basics came to be.

“My husband and I actually were interested in buying this building eight years ago, but the owner wasn’t ready to sell it. We originally planned for this to become the Casey Creamery. So, we got the other building instead. But then, in 2024, she was ready to sell this building. We didn’t know what we were going to put in here, but we decided that we should purchase the building and then figure it out.”

The building needed plenty of work before it could open as a retail business, but the couple plunged right in. They also worked to preserve the historic look of the building. Hometown Basics opened in June of 2025.

“We kept the original brick walls and put a whole new front on the building and new flooring,” Wedemeyer said. “The idea is to have a place for people in or around Casey to come in and get basic things, whether you need an outfit, or a gift for someone, pantry items, beer and wine, and we wanted to also be able to showcase other businesses’ items, so we have some vendors in here.”

In some ways, Hometown Basics is like an old-fashioned general store, since it is possible to buy beer, scented candles, toys and clothing all in one place. 

“We currently have six vendors,” Wedemeyer said. “The Cozy Scrub Company, Casey Candle Company, Hannah Rae’s Home Goods, Dub P Apparel, Kreative Impressions, and now B & D Designs is our newest vendor.”

Asked about top-selling items, Wedemeyer said that depends on the time of year.

“People stop in a lot for Guthrie County Quality Meats. They don’t have to drive to Guthrie Center,” she said. “During football season, Dub P apparel sells like crazy. People like the Adair-Casey Bombers apparel; I just can’t keep it in stock.”

Wedemeyer is glad for the help of her daughter, Peyton Froehlich, who works parttime in the store and handles the social media and marketing. The store has a Facebook presence, as well as Instagram, TikTok and a website (hometown-basics.com).

Perhaps the best-kept secret at the location is the rental unit above the store. 

“We call it the Brick Street Loft. It’s an Air BnB, but we also rent it out privately,” Wedemeyer said. “It’s a newly renovated rental loft with two bedrooms, one bathroom, a pull-out couch, full kitchen, washer and dryer, WIFI and smart TVs.”

Because the store is relatively new, Wedemeyer continues to adjust the store hours and offerings to match what her customers want.

“Our standard hours are Wednesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., fluctuating with kids’ appointments and activities, but we always post the hours on Facebook. I think this summer, we might be doing more of a Wednesday through Sunday schedule,” she said. “We have some new vendors coming in. We try to keep new things coming in all the time, and we do events, like the Sip & Shop events on Thursdays.”

For a store with such a short history, the building itself has plenty. Wedemeyer enjoys sharing the story of the building. 

“A lot of people enjoy coming in and remembering that this building used to be Max and Myrna Whetstone’s grocery store,” she said. “Then, the family that owned this building after the Whetstones had it still as a grocery store. And their kids — now grown up — came in and they wanted to go in the back room because they remembered where they played. There’s still writing on the walls back there from when they were kids. It’s been painted, but you can still see it.”

Wedemeyer invites everyone to stop in to browse and to make suggestions of items the store could carry. 

“We try to keep a little bit of everything. That way, people don’t have to make a trip to Des Moines,” she said.