After just two years, Madison Strate has helped her business, Manni’s by Maddie, become popular with the Montgomery County community.

Just ask her soon-to-be-husband, Spencer Craven.

“She brought a nail service to Montgomery that it didn’t have,” Craven said. “Women had to drive to Warrenton, Columbia and Mexico to get their nails done. In the last two years, she has grown it, offering tanning and having an overflowing amount of customers.”

In 2021, Strate bought the old Montgomery Standard building at 115 W. 2nd Street in Montgomery City and turned it into a nail salon. Before she moved to Montgomery County in 2018, Strate never thought of owning a nail salon.

“The last dream that I could remember having of a career field was physical therapy,” Strate said. “But I ended up being pregnant at age 20 with my daughter. Her dad is from Wellsville, so that’s what brought me out here.”

The 28-year-old Strate is a native of Eureka, Kan., about an hour east of Wichita. She attended Butler Community Community College in El Dorado, Kan., and St. Charles Community College before moving to Montgomery County.

Strate purchased the old Standard building from Joe Topel in March 2021. She said it took about $20,000 to fix up the building that included plumbing and electric repairs.

“I felt like I was blessed and super lucky with the opportunity that kind of fell into my lap to buy this building,” Strate said. “Joe worked with me really well. I’m very grateful for him because he’s been awesome.”

Strate said Craven was helpful in getting her business started as he did most of the remodeling work.

“I could ask him to do anything,” said Strate, who is planning to marry Craven on Sept. 30. “If he doesn’t know how, he just figures it out. I can draw a picture. He’s like a 3D printer. He can just make anything. Before we came in here, he measured everything and told me what my options were. I drew it on paper and he built it with a baby strapped to his back half of the time.”

Manni’s By Maddie was open for business in June 2021. Shortly after that, Strate got into an accident in the building but later recovered.

“We were going to remodel the upstairs,” Strate said. “I was up there scraping plaster off the brick, which was the stuff that was loose. I came down the stairs to let the electrician in and they gave out from beneath me.”

Craven said Strate finds time to sponsor T-ball teams in the area as well as help fixing up Montgomery County Fair Queen and Old Settlers Princess contestants.

“She’s an amazing person in our community,” Craven said. “I promise you won’t find anyone who doesn’t love her.”

Strate worked at A’la Mode Salon and Boutique before she decided to start her own business. She said she has enjoyed working with her customers for the past two years.

“I wouldn’t have been able to do it without my clients and their support,” Strate said. “Just in the last two years of being here from the salon I was before, I am constantly booked. The community is the main reason I am able to do all of this. On top of this, I am a mom. I have three kids. Because I have a lot of business, I am able to afford to come here and love my job.”