PLYMOUTH, Wis. — The Wreath Factory in Plymouth looks like something straight out of a Hallmark Christmas movie, but until recently its internet connection was anything but picture-perfect.
Watch: Plymouth business owner gains access to high-speed internet for the first time
The rural Sheboygan County business just gained access to high-speed internet for the first time, marking a significant milestone for the company that has been growing for more than 40 years.
"We had so many outages out here, being in the countryside," said Michael Beeck, store owner. "Being in retail, we had to have people write their numbers down, or we ended up having to just take cash, and we'd be off the grid for like two hours, and that would affect business."
The Wreath Factory started with three employees in a garage and now serves a four-county area, including Milwaukee County, Ozaukee County, Fond du Lac County and Manitowoc County.
Everything changed a few weeks ago when Spectrum expanded access to high-speed broadband to the area. Beeck said the upgrade is a game-changer for small businesses like his.
"And with increasing our business, it will help us get into more of what is popular right now, which is more online shopping and shipping," Beeck said.
Chris Caporale from Spectrum said 3,500 homes and small businesses are impacted by the recent expansion.
"That includes Plymouth, Rhine, Elkhart Lake and more," Caporale said.
The company is now offering internet speeds up to a gigabit. It's all part of Spectrum's multiyear rural construction initiative — a more than $7 billion investment adding more than 100,000 miles of fiber network infrastructure across the country.
"It's very important whether it's education, telehealth, banking, whatever it might be — so much more is internet-based, and we're hoping that reliable services may be able to help them with whatever it might be in their day-to-day lives," Caporale said.
For this rural Christmas cornerstone, the upgrades mean consistent connectivity this holiday season and beyond.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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