Cathy Sweet-Musch

Cathy Sweet-Musch, owner of Cup on the Corner, attends to customers Ann Petersen, left, and Katie Thompson, both of Hartley, Iowa.
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HARTLEY, Iowa -- Though she'd been thinking about having a place where people could get together and socialize off and on for a couple of years, Cathy Sweet-Musch of Hartley didn't do anything about it.

"A bunch of us women used to get together at a house every week, and it was just something to do," says Sweet-Musch."It was a way for us to spend some time on ourselves."

She especially liked the social aspect of these groups, and when she attended a town meeting here, she realized there was a need for something more organized.

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"I went to a town meeting, and the young kids were there talking about how there's nothing to do," says Sweet-Musch."Hearing that gave me the push I needed to do something about it."

With the encouragement of her family and friends, Sweet-Musch rented an empty storefront in town and created the Cup on the Corner coffee shop, so named because of its location.
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"Janelle painted the quotes on the walls," Sweet-Musch explains.
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Originally from Canada, Sweet-Musch has called Hartley home for the past several years, and she said she believes in promoting the area artists.Her coffee shop is filled with artwork and crafts brought in mostly by local people.
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With Cup on the Corner doing well, Sweet-Musch has ideas for the future of her shop.

"Starting next month I'm going to have local entertainment come in one night a month," she says.