SALYERSVILLE, Ky. (WYMT) – Justin Darnell has a dream to help his Salyersville community grow.

On a mission to do that, he has created several businesses, aiming to support his friends and circulate funds through the area.

“I’ve always said, ‘shop local’ and people really are. Like they’re putting their money where their mouth is, like I requested, and they’re coming and they’re supporting us and they’re doing it every day,” said Darnell. “So it’s been phenomenal.”

After opening Prohibition Coffee and getting a good response from the community, he began partnering with the Magoffin County Animal Shelter to help them in their mission.

“We’ll try to be the the gateway to that,” he said. “So that’s the wonderful thing – very rewarding and it’s helped out a lot of animals.”

Now, with a medical taxi business starting up and a commercial property development in the works behind McDonalds on Restaurant Row, he hopes to keep the interest for others to bring their businesses to the city.

“We have people that travel everyday to Georgetown you know at an hour and 45 to two hours a day, one way,” he said. “We’ve got a workforce here.”

He said creating an option for local workers could be the best way to move the local economy forward.

“Between all the business ventures that I’m involved in, we employ about 20 people,” he said. “To me it seems kind of like a small number, but that’s 20 families fed.”

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