Linda Mae’s – your one-stop shop for sweets, meats, cheese, more 

Chris Rugowski

Contributor

July 7, 2025

MANAWA – If it’s ice cream, beef or cheese, Linda Mae’s – located at 327 S. Bridge St. in Manawa – likely carries it.

Owner Linda Otto-Wepner said Linda Mae’s is a one-stop shop for all things sweets, including their real ice cream from King Cone, meats from her husband’s beef cattle and cheese from local producers, plus retail from local artisans.

Since opening in April 2023, Otto-Wepner said the shop has experienced “a lot of love from the community,” while it eventually grew into a full-time job for her.

Her ‘why’ is simple

Otto-Wepner grew up in Plover, home of King Cone ice cream.

When her kids were younger, she said it was one of their favorite places to go to celebrate most anything.

However, Otto-Wepner said shortly after moving to Manawa, the soft serve shop that they would occasionally go to, closed one day out of the blue.

“My son actually had just started his first job there and then they just closed up,” she said. “So, we seized the opportunity to open a new shop.”

Though she wasn’t necessarily looking to open a soft serve shop, because she liked the classic look of downtown Manawa – filled with old buildings, tin ceilings, wood floors and brick walls – Otto-Wepner said the wheels started turning.

Reminiscent of their love of King Cone, she said she reached out inquiring about wholesale opportunities. 

After a little back-and-forth, Otto-Wepner said they agreed – with her husband’s own dairy farm helping seal the deal.

“They really appreciated the dairy farm, and how we sold the milk and are promoting the dairy industry,” she said. “It was nice that they recognized that. They only wholesale to two dairy-focused places, and we’re thankful to be one of them.”

Otto-Wepner said she thrives on being busy, and she can’t sit still, so when she first proposed the idea to her husband about opening an ice cream shop, he asked if she was sure. 

Already working a full-time job and helping a little around the dairy farm, she said the goal was to intentionally not create anything big – with her main objectives being to have fun and bring the community together.

Otto-Wepner said the shop also provides work opportunities for young people – helping them learn the ropes of maintaining a work schedule, gaining some skills and becoming more employable when the time comes for them to go other places.

She said it started with her son, then his friends, then friends of their friends. 

“I had a young man who worked for me who was uncomfortable talking to strangers,” she said. “He worked for me for less than a year, but as he moved on to another job, he thanked me for helping him grow and giving him a new gift. That’s what I want to do for the community – give them something positive in return.”

More than just ice cream

As she mentioned previously, Otto-Wepner said Linda Mae’s is a one-stop shop for sweets, meats, cheese, gifts and more – which includes food from her own family’s farm.

She said their farm-fresh beef has always received “rave reviews,” and they wanted to share that with the community in a new way, rather than just selling halves and quarters from the farm directly.

Further promoting the dairy industry, Otto-Wepner said the shop carries other local dairy products – including glass bottle milk from Lamers and fresh Dupont Cheese products, which are made right outside of Manawa.

The shop, she said, also sells artisan desserts and gifts.

“There are so many good things that people have here,” she said. “I have handmade wood cutting boards from Iola. I have greeting cards that are handmade. I have gluten-free baking mixes, soaps and laundry soaps.”

‘The ice cream lady’

Otto-Wepner said Linda Mae’s growth and popularity have really taken off in 2025 – with the shop already doing twice the business they had during the first year of operation.

Much of that growth, she said, has been supported by word-of-mouth and social media advertising – which has also helped garner growth outside of town.

At the end of the school year, Otto-Wepner said several teachers brought their students down for an end-of-year celebration treat.

“The kids get so excited,” she said. “They think I am some sort of hero. I remember being at a rummage sale and having my Linda Mae’s shirt on, and someone asked if I worked at Linda Mae’s. I told them I am Linda Mae – they got excited and said ‘Oh, you’re the ice cream lady.’”

Flavors, ingredients for everyone

Otto-Wepner said Linda Mae’s has 16 flavors of ice cream – ranging from the classics to modern flavors.

A popular flavor during the summer, she said, is a lemon pie one that pairs well with the raspberry flavor or blueberry cheesecake.

Some other flavors available, Otto-Wepner said, include Espresso Cookie Crumble, Dumbo’s Secret (the secret is peanut butter), Blue Moon, Cupcake King, Mint Oreo Grasshopper and Brownie Strikes Back.

A favorite of many – which she said actually surprised her – is Butter Pecan.

“I always took it for an ‘old person’ flavor, but I have a lot of younger people who come in and say they love it,” she said.

In April 2025, King Cone announced it was going dye-free, which Otto-Wepner said, as a King Cone ice cream wholesaler, has also helped Linda Mae’s business.

The reaction from customers to the change, she said, has been nothing but positive.

Community reaction

When Linda Mae’s opened, Otto-Wepner said the community embraced it – excited to have a homemade ice cream shop in town.

Since then, she said she has welcomed people from “all over.”

Before Linda Mae’s occupied the Bridge Street building, Otto-Wepner said it was home to The Winemaker’s Daughter.

The previous tenants, she said, fixed the tin ceiling, plaster walls and pulled up the tile that was put down on the floor – all amounting to a building with great bones.

Otto-Wepner said when she and her husband took it over, they had recently taken a barn down on their farm, so they decided to give the shop a barn feel using the same wood.

Both being “handy workers,” Otto-Wepner said it was fun to collaborate with her husband on the shop.

As the shop embarks on its third year, she said Linda Mae’s is her happy place.

“If I’m stressed, I’ll go there and socialize with people,” she said. “After all, who can be in a bad mood when they’ve come to get ice cream? No one. I’ve met so many wonderful people from our community because of this store.”

Transitioning from a 35-year career in the corporate world to small business ownership, Otto-Wepner said gives her an interesting perspective on things.

Seeing decisions she’s making with the shop have a direct community impact, and seeing how all the small businesses rally around one another, she said, “has been heartwarming.”

To learn more about Linda Mae’s, find it on Facebook.