Sometimes moving to Corning must just be in the cards. About 5 years ago, Jill Stattler-Neil’s husband, Mike, developed a serious health problem that ultimately disabled him. Although medical treatments have stabilized his condition, the couple saw this as a wake up call and began to take seriously their motto of “if you can dream it, it can happen”. Realizing that their dream was to live on an acreage in an Iowa small town, they turned to Zillow and the first thing that popped up was theold red house at the south end of Grove Avenue. Selling their house in west Omaha, they, along with their 7 year old sonand 15 year old daughter, became one of Corning’s newest residents in May of 2024. Soon 2 ducks and 20 chickens weregiving the backyard that country atmosphere.
Being an artist and now having the opportunity to follow her own dreams, Jill opened a shop to display her talents and promote those of others. The first “If You Can Dream It… ” opened in September 2024 at 601 Davis Ave. with 25 vendors filling the space with an eclectic mixture of just about everything. When her original lease ran out in May 2025, she decided to move to the larger brighter space of 627 Benton which locals know as the old Larson & Jones Insurance office.Having determined more of what her customers asked for and what she herself wanted to do, she pared the vendors to 4who continue to provide her with homemade soap, candles, crocheted stuffed animals and New Age crystals. This allows her to also display a hodgepodge of vintage clothing, antiques, unusual candies and her own paintings and crafts. A popular one is customizing shoes with original artwork. The store is open T 12-7, W-TH 10-5, Fri-Sat 10-4.
Jill has found Corning to be friendly, welcoming and open minded. Her children are enjoying the freedom and convenienceof being able to walk or bike to almost anywhere they want to go. As for the acreage plans, they are still in the “if you can dream it… ” stage, but an ongoing battle with the deer and raccoons may be in store next summer.
