Malones buy downtown business building; new businesses started

    A move back home by Casey Malone and his family led to purchase of one of the Imperial’s main street business buildings.
    Malone and his wife Kristen now own the former Moreland Realty building at 501 Broadway. The purchase from Rocking Chair LLC was finalized earlier this year.
    The family moved to Imperial last November, after living in Las Vegas and, most recently, Texas.
    Casey had formerly worked as head of finance for the House of Blues in the Mandalay Bay Casino in Vegas and Texas, and now operates his own accounting and tax business, Books and Beyond.
    Kristen worked in commercial real estate sales and industrial land management in Vegas, then took a break from employment “to be a mom” after their move to Texas, she said.
    Since purchasing the 501 Broadway location, Kristen has started a pair of businesses—Vault 501 and SPF 308.
    Vault 501, appropriately, is located within the vault in the former Farmers & Merchants Bank, which had been located in that building at 5th and Broadway.
    Vault 501 is a graphic design business she started in Texas, which began with web design, logos and marketing materials she created for equestrian enthusiasts. She’s since branched out to other businesses.
    SPF 308 is a tanning studio that houses a tanning bed, along with tanning and facial products. She’s planning to expand with another bed and other cosmetic services. Currently, SPF 308 takes appointments only, she said.
    The Malones continue to provide office space at 501 Broadway to Johnson Bergmeier Wolf and Cipperley CPAs, the Flatwater Group, State Farm Agent Linda Maiden and ESU 15.
    They plan to make available another office space later, they said.
    The couple said they will rename the building Broadway Office Park as soon as they get a sign company contracted.
    Casey’s Books and Beyond business is officed in the KADL building on Douglas Street.
    Kristen, who grew up in Beatrice and Lincoln, said every time they were in Imperial to visit over the years, the thought of living here crossed their minds.
    “We moved back because we wanted to give our kids the opportunity to be kids,” she said, “and be raised in a small town like we were.”
    The Malones are happy with their decision to move to Imperial, and their children, Brecken, 13, and Reese, 11, are happy, too, and “love the school,” Kristen said.
    It also means they’re closer to Casey’s family, who include his mother Dana Sorensen, grandmother Jo Anne Rowley and sister Mylee Fanning, all of Imperial. Casey was a 2001 graduate of Chase County High School.
    They both believe they made the right decision to move.
    “My favorite thing is the day we rolled in. The kids were able to ride their bikes that first day without us having to watch them,” she said.