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August 3, 2026
MANAWA – Recognizing a gap in her community, local entrepreneur Jean Seegar, along with her husband, Jake, are inching closer to the opening of Garage @ 306 – a new coffee shop, lounge and community space in Manawa.
“I feel like our town needed something more – a place for people to get together and gather,” she said.
Having owned and operated Hello Beautiful – a boutique previously featured by The Business News in its August 4, 2025 issue – for more than a decade, Seegar said when the small City of Manawa lost its only coffee shop, she and Jake decided to step up and do something about it.
“I thought about putting it in my own business, but I feel like our town needs another place for people to go,” she said. “It’s a small town, and we do… have lots of things to offer, but I feel like another location [was] more important than putting it in my space that I already have.”
That, Seegar said, prompted her and Jake to purchase another building.
Since then, she said they have been renovating the building at 306 S. Bridge St., transforming it into what will soon become Manawa’s newest destination – Garage @ 306.
“I am so thankful for my husband – he is a hard worker, very handy and knows how to do so much,” she said. “He took down the outside wall, tore the roof off and removed most of the wood in the building [that had gone bad] from sitting vacant for so long.”
Old bones, room to grow
Due to the condition of the building when they purchased it a little more than a year ago, Seegar said the upgrades done at 306 Bridge Street were focused on bringing it both back to life and up to code.
“Most of the plans – structural, plumbing and HVAC – had to be drawn up and submitted to the state for approval before starting any construction,” she said. “It’s quite a process.”
Seegar said thankfully, her and Jake’s experience starting Hello Beautiful aided them in their preparations for the Garage @ 306.
“Until doing a project like this, I wouldn’t have known what all the steps [were] to make these sorts of projects happen,” she said.
Between September of 2025 and March of 2026, Seegar said the drawings went back and forth between them and the state before finally receiving approval in May.
“We weren’t rushing into [anything], because I feel like sometimes, when you rush, you don’t think about the details,” she said. “The space itself is actually really small, [which is] why we’re putting on an addition to the space.”
Seegar said they want to ensure the Garage @ 306 has “room to grow.”
“We wanted to have a space that could be used in different ways,” she said. “I love doing events at Hello Beautiful – it’s one of my favorite things to do. [So], I wanted to do more of that in this space as well.”
Above the addition – literally – Seegar said she and Jake are creating a quaint rooftop patio.
“We’ll be able to have a few tables up there,” she said. “It’ll be something unique, [and] we also want to have outdoor seating, too…, so we’re just really looking forward to having a place to get people together.”
‘Makes my heart happy’
The name, Garage @ 306, Seegar said, was selected to be intentionally vague.
“We want a space for more than just coffee, so [the question was], what could we name it that sounds like a destination or something you want to go check out?” she said.
With the goal of celebrating its grand opening by the end of this year, Seegar said she’s encouraged by the amount of support Garage @ 306’s Facebook page has already received – amassing more than 1,000 followers in less than a month.
“I shared it on my Hello Beautiful page just to get people aware that we started it, and I was just blown away by the love and support from everyone, and their excitement is just amazing,” she said. “I’m truly blessed to be a part of such a great community and all these wonderful people.”
As renovations continue, Seegar said the best place for customers to check for updates is social media as she and Jake excitedly prepare to open.
“I feel like everyone’s lives are busy and for some, things can be hard,” she said. “If for a couple hours here and there, we can get people together with their friends and family and everyone is having a good time…, that just makes my heart happy.”
