Faith-based business born out of humility now open in downtown Merrill

Cheryl Hentz

Contributor

July 7, 2025

MERRILL – Entrepreneurs Jim and Johanna Doyle said in a heartfelt step toward blending positivity, encouragement and purpose with enterprise, they recently opened the doors to a Christian, faith-based business in downtown Merrill.

Opening directly next door to their outreach ministry, the owners said The Humble (923 E. Main St.) is rooted in biblical principles and a passion for service.

The dual initiative, they said, aims to support the local community not only through faith-centered products, but also by creating a space for worship, spiritual growth, connection and hope.

At its core, the Doyles said the mission is simple:  be a beacon of encouragement in both commerce and calling.

The store opened last fall in the former Ye’ Olde Sweet Shop – an antique and candy store owned by Dennis and Luann Grefe.

Though the sweet shop closed due to circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, Johanna said Dennis continued to make sea salt caramels in the space – which he sold at the Ace Hardware store directly across the street.

On a whim, Johanna said she decided to ask Dennis if he’d be willing to sell his shop for a place to store the products that she had been selling online and at local vendor and craft sales.  

“Though it wasn’t for sale, he was very happy that I called, and said he would be very much interested in selling,” she said. “He also wanted to know if we had a desire to purchase the candy part of his business because he would like to see it continue to be a service to the community.”

Jim said he had seen the small candy store in Ace Hardware several years ago and thought having a candy store would be pretty cool.

“So, when we were asked about buying the candy side of the business, I jumped at the chance,” he said. “I told Johanna [the candy] business itself could help offset the other side of the business.”

One thing led to another, Johanna said, and in February 2024, they bought the building from the Grefes, plus all the equipment and candy recipes.

After a few months of renovations, she said The Humble opened for business.

“The fun part of this is that back in 2019, I had a vision of us having a ministry and a business that were connected,” she said. “Now, several years later – not even on purpose – we have the Gathering Table ministry and a business (The Humble), and they’re connected not only in spirit and purpose, but (in location, too). They’re actually side-by-side. They literally share a wall.”

In the beginning…

The Doyles said to understand how they got to where they are today, one must know about their past.

Johanna said she had worked as a manager for a garage door company for many years, doing all of its bookkeeping, accounting, payroll, government reporting and whatever else needed to be done. 

Meanwhile, Jim said he has been working in the HVAC wholesale business for 37 years, 20 of which have been with his current employer.

The Doyles said the pastors at the church they’d been attending in Wausau knew they wanted to do some type of leadership within the church and asked if they would want to host a small group ministry from their home to help build relationships outside of the Sunday morning services. 

The idea, they said, intrigued them – and shortly thereafter, the Gathering Table was created. 

The Doyles said they started holding worship-type get-togethers on Tuesday nights, doing different six- or seven-week Bible or spirituality studies and gatherings. 

Those Tuesday night gatherings, they said, eventually transcended into something that had more of a worship focus – prompting the move out of their living room.

“We needed more space at that point, and in 2022, we found a space right in the center of our town on Main Street that had been vacant for two years,” she said. “So, we put in an offer on it and were accepted.”

Johanna said they gutted the entire building and renovated it – a project that took almost a year to complete – and opened the ministry building in March 2023, each working there two or three days a week.  

“Jim is more of a teacher, so he does a lot of the teaching,” she said. “I’m more Apostolic-Prophetically bent, so I just listen for whatever the Lord is saying in the moment, then I share that with others.”

Johanna said she was ordained as a pastor in 2023, after which she started to feel it was time for her to move on from her full-time job.

“Those feelings continued to evolve,” she said. “I put them off as long as I could, because I made a good wage and didn’t want to put us into a financial strain by leaving my job without knowing for sure what I was going to do. But the Lord brought back to my heart this desire to have a business connected to a ministry.”

At her son’s suggestion, Johanna said she started an online store and in November 2023, began doing vendor and craft shows. 

“But, I [quickly] felt like I was still missing something, and the pressure to move on from the job that I had for so long was building,” she said.

In October 2024, Johanna said she left the security of her longtime job to work full-time in The Humble. 

The rest, the Doyles said, is history.

A name through divine interventions 

The Doyles said The Humble name came about in a couple of ways that perhaps they said only they can fully appreciate.

As they started bouncing around different names for the retail store, the couple said it seemed like everything they considered was already taken. 

However, Johanna said she believed God would show them what the name should be – which came on a drive past a pasture of grazing donkeys.

“Jim pointed out the donkeys to me, and as soon as I looked over and saw the donkeys, I heard the Lord’s voice saying, ‘My presence is best carried in humility,’” she said. “I immediately thought about a humble donkey. Then the name ‘The Humble’ came to us. It just seemed to fit, and it was available.”

Now that they had a name, the Doyles said the next step was to create a logo for the retail store. 

Appropriately enough, Johanna said they incorporated a donkey into their logo.

“We want people to come into the store and feel like they are loved and to feel at peace in his presence,” she said. “Our heart is to reach the community, even through a retail store.”

Though the business is faith-focused, Johanna said she feels customers understand the store’s benevolent vibe regardless of their beliefs.

“Even people who aren’t necessarily as faith-based as us have come in and told us how good it feels in the store,” she said. “That’s what we’re trying to accomplish.”

A little bit of everything at The Humble

The Doyles said The Humble can best be described as a faith-based, small business with modern Christian apparel, jewelry, accessories, home decor, gifts, books, candles, coffee and tea, drinkware, children’s apparel and children’s gifts.

Then there’s the candy and fudge, of which the couple said they have six different kinds for sale at any given time.

“Our purpose is to bring a positive environment to our local community,” they said. “We offer items that express faith and bring encouragement… We [also] carry the legacy of candy making from the previous store owners of the Ye’ Olde Sweet Shop, offering the same recipes and a few of our own.”

Johanna said 95-98% of their vendors are other small, faith-based businesses.

“The people who make the products we sell put time, prayer and the word of God into their thought process when they’re creating whatever they create,” she said. “There’s intention and purpose behind it.”

Sweet shop’s living legacy

Before they could start selling candy and fudge, Jim said the business had to get certified to handle food. 

He said they also had to have the health department do its inspection.

Though he initially had some questions in the beginning, Jim said he has perfected the former owners’ recipes.

He said he and Johanna have even created some of their own – like chocolate-covered gummy bears and chocolate-covered espresso beans. 

Everything is homemade, Jim said, and there’s no machinery or technology used in making any of the candy or fudge. 

However, because it’s all homemade and made fresh, he said it doesn’t have all the preservatives, and therefore has a shorter shelf life than a candy bar you’d buy in a grocery store.

“That’s one of the learning curves – making enough product so that we don’t run out, but not making too much to the point where we have excess, and if it sits too long, the shelf life is gone, and we can’t sell it anymore,” he said. “Then we have to throw product away or eat it ourselves.”

Johanna said it’s the same with other merchandise they sell – noting they not only have to order things they believe customers would like, but enough of it to fill orders and in-store demand, while not ordering too much. 

“This whole year is a learning experience because we haven’t been through a summertime yet,” she said.

Johanna said once they get through the first year, they’ll have a better idea of what people will want and at what time of year they want certain things, etc. 

“I’m taking note of the seasons and what people want during each season or holiday,” she said. “I feel like next year will be a lot more predictable, because I’ll know the different events people celebrate, what kind of gifts they’re looking for and when.”

Johanna said the store’s interior is modern-looking yet simplistic, tidy and uncluttered.

“I want to stay true to the vision God gave me for the store and not deviate from that, but at the same time have stuff that everybody can enjoy,” she said.

In time, Johanna said they’d like to expand the store to have space to host community events, and if they continue to grow, hire one or two employees and help support the community.

By blending the Gathering Table’s grassroots outreach ministry with The Humble’s entrepreneurial spirit rooted with a gospel-centered purpose, the Doyles said they aim to bring both practical support and spiritual nourishment to the heart of the Merrill community and beyond.

To learn more, visit The Humble’s website or find it on social media.