01 SC Mag 02-24

Another unique aspect to the cafe is a former semicleaned
up garage space dubbed the BackBack that The
Ruralists, a band Laremy is in, began using as a rehearsal
space in 2016.
“I can tend to be a bit of a hoarder and used that space
for storage but having a knack for collecting speakers and
sound system equipment and needing a place to practice,
eventually the space got more cleaned out, and it felt like
it would be a legit venue for loader music, not just for
practices,” Laremy said.
The couple reached out to local bands to do shows;
other touring bands like Good Morning Bedlam also
stopped by for a few years. Scheduling bands, however,
has been harder since the coronavirus in 2020, but the
The Fruited Plain Cafe owners Laremy and Rebecca De Vries have
worked 14 years to craft their business like their coffee, with care,
to be beautiful and useful for the community.
BackBack has since been used for Sioux Center Arts comedy
events and the annual Pork ’n’ Bands fundraiser.
“Having the BackBack is another facet of how we can
serve the community, how we can express ourselves, how
we can do stuff we think is fun and build a community,”
Laremy said. “It aids the moneymaking side of the business,
too, but being able to use this one building for all
these things and seeing how much community support
it has motivates us to continue.”
Each aspect of the business gives the couple hope for
the future.
“Starting out, we knew we couldn’t strictly open a coffee
shop in a small town that wasn’t used to spending
money on just coffee, we needed to have more things to
offer to stay open,” Rebecca said. “How we’ve done that
has certainly changed in ways we didn’t expect or anticipate
over the years, but it’s all kept us open supporting
the community and the community supporting us, and
we hope to keep that going for more years to come.”
They, like their business, have undergone changes as
well. What used to be more separate roles has become a
blended mix for Laremy and Rebecca as business needs
have changed and as their children have gotten older and
have more activities.
“Rebecca is also my duet partner, and we lead some
church worship together and some school chapels together
— we do a lot together,” Laremy said. “I couldn’t
image doing business, doing life, without her.”
“For better or worse, that’s us,” Rebecca said. “We
wouldn’t have it any other way.”
SPRING 2024 | SC MAGAZINE 21