DIETERICH — Dieterich’s population has grown more than 40% in the last decade as the village has drawn new residents to its two subdivisions. Now, Dieterich is drawing the attention of those looking to start a small business. This year alone, three new businesses opened in the village of nearly 900.
Julie Schuppert, who opened an ice cream shop in the village with her husband Jeff in March, said people from outside the community are taking notice.
“I think people see the opportunity that’s there,” she said.
Derek Litzelman noticed the growth — and the traffic that went with it — when the Jasper County resident was looking for a location to open a car wash. As of 2023, he said the traffic count through the village was 6,050 vehicles per day. But there is another reason he chose the village.
“It’s such a good, clean community too,” he said.
Matt Worman also touts the village’s great community and growth when asked why he, his siblings and their spouses decided to open a bar and grill in the village earlier this year.
“We would be silly not to be involved with that,” he said.
The Rail Yard Bar & Grill
Deanna and Scott Jansen first approached Deanna’s brother, Matt Worman, about opening a bar and grill in Dieterich three years ago.
“I told them not to do it,” said Worman.
A big reason was the need for a building to locate it in. Buying a lot and constructing one would have been pricey. Then, a building became available.
They brought it up again during dinner one evening in February last year. This time, Worman was on board.
“We said, ‘We can do this,’ and we ended up deciding that night that we could,” recalled Worman.
The idea actually started with Matt and Deanna’s father, Gary, more than 20 years ago. Although he passed away a few years later, his children never forgot it.
The three involved more family members – Phil and Heather Worman and Darin and Kali Worman.
Next, they had to come up with a name. They came upon one that ties both a unique feature of the bar and the history of Dieterich — The Rail Yard. The bar has a frosted rail or strip running through the length of it that customers can sit their drinks on to keep them cold, and the village got its start from the railroad that runs through it.
Even some of the menu items and drinks tie into the name. A popular food item is a horseshoe sandwich with homemade cheese sauce called the Train Wreck. As for drinks, the Locomotive and Polar Espresso, an alcoholic iced caramel latte, are popular, as well as Train’s a Mulin, their version of a Moscow Mule.
“Food has been a big hit here, and people seem to really enjoy it. Food quality was something we wanted to be very adamant about,” said Matt Worman.
The owners note that their burgers and wraps are big hits, and credit their kitchen manager, who they rely on to develop menu items.
“He kicks ideas around to us. We discuss menu options and specials, and when the specials are really good, we want to put that on the menu,” said Worman. “He comes up with some great food.”
It takes many people to keep the business going, and Matt Worman notes that they haven’t had difficulty finding workers. The Rail Yard employs 57, which includes many part-time staff.
Since opening Jan. 31, Heather Worman said people have been supportive.
“It’s been kind of fun to see; you’ll see a Rail Yard hat in random spots not even around here, up by Champaign,” she said.
Finding out-of-towners at The Rail Yard is common, even on a weekday afternoon.
“A lot of folks from out of town seem to come back. I know multiple people from Oblong that come over here fairly regularly. They tell their friends, and more and more people from out of town seem to find their way over here too,” said Matt Worman.
He enjoys seeing the customers and getting feedback.
“I want to know what we need to do to make everything better for everyone. We definitely see a lot of repeat customers,” he said.
Even when Matt Worman is not at The Rail Yard, he hears from people about it.
“I don’t know how many people have said, ‘Oh, I drove by your place the other night, and the parking lot was packed,” he said.
Worman said they’ve been overwhelmed by community support.
“People are ecstatic that they have something here to call their own. If you don’t want to make the trip to Effingham or don’t want to go out of town but you can still have a nice sit-down meal with drinks, people seemed to have really enjoyed that so far,” he said.
Even though The Rail Yard is a family venture, Matt Worman said everyone who comes through the door eventually feels like family.
“There’s not too many strangers that come in here. There’s probably fewer strangers that leave. Just to build those relationships is pretty cool,” he said.
The Maroon Spoon
Julie Schuppert is familiar with owning a bar. She and her husband, Jeff, were partners in Heffy’s Bar – now Harry’s – in Dieterich for about five years. But when the opportunity came to do something different, they went for it.
“It was my husband’s idea, actually,” Julie said. “My parents had owned a building in Dieterich for quite a while, and he always said it would make a great little ice cream shop.”
The Schupperts, who live outside Dieterich, thought the village would be the perfect location for an ice cream shop. Plus, the village didn’t have anything like that. So, the couple purchased the building a little over two years ago.
Located within walking distance of Dieterich schools, the couple wanted to incorporate the district’s mascot, Movin’ Maroons, into the shop’s name and came up with The Maroon Spoon.
When deciding the menu, Julie Schuppert said she wanted to offer hand-dipped ice cream.
“Just because it’s not readily available everywhere,” she explained.
The Maroon Spoon currently offers eight varieties of hand-dipped ice cream: Rocky Road, Mint Chip, Pecan, Strawberry, Cheesecake, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Moose Tracks, Superman and Black Cherry. It also offers co*ke products, sundaes, shakes, soft-serve and Movin’ Mixers, which Julie said are similar to Blizzards.
The couple also wanted to create an ice cream shop that matched the atmosphere of the 1940s building. The inside has colorful furniture and décor that fits the retro style.
Julie Schuppert said the support they’ve received has been overwhelming.
“One of the reasons why we picked Dieterich is because, doing business in Dieterich previously, we know the community. We know the village, and they have always supported us very well,” she said.
Julie Schuppert added the village has been “extremely” helpful in overcoming any obstacles the couple has encountered.
The Maroon Spoon opened in March. Although ice cream tends to be seasonal, Julie said they hope to keep the shop, with its indoor seating, open year-round.
“Whether that be restricted days and hours, I don’t know,” she said. “We’re excited to see where it goes.”
Clearview Car Wash
Derek Litzelman came up with the idea to open a car wash during his sophom*ore year at Newton Community High School.
“I had an intro to business class, and I did it over putting up a car wash in Dieterich,” he said.
The following year, he and his buddy, Jackson Martin, were driving around one day and happened to drive through Dieterich.
“He said that would be a good place for a car wash,” Lizelman said. “I said, ‘Well, I did a presentation and a business class on it, and I got a good grade.”
Litzelman asked his father what he thought about opening a car wash in Dieterich.
“He made a few phone calls to his buddy that’s an engineer. We ended up getting a business plan on it, seeing how it would turn out for us, and that’s just kind of where it started,” said Litzelman.
Dieterich had a lot for sale in its new industrial park, which set the wheels in motion. The car wash officially opened on May 18 with one automatic, two indoor bays and an outside truck bay.
Litzelman said residents are excited to have a car wash back in Dieterich since there hasn’t been one for about 40 years.
While Litzelman said he always knew he wanted to own a business, the opportunity came sooner than he expected. He’s 19, while co-owner Martin is 20.
“I’m glad we’re doing it now at a young age,” he said.
Litzelman advises other young entrepreneurs to do their research and talk to others who have been through it — both those who have failed and succeeded.
“Don’t be afraid to try it out. Don’t be afraid to fail. There’s always something you can come back from,” he said.
