Carly Nelson

After recognizing a need for small electronic repairs in 1922, Gerald Farnsworth founded Farnsworth Electronics out of a chicken coop in New Hartford, Iowa. Later, Gerald's father would join him in the business as the bookkeeper and later, they moved operations to Waterloo, Iowa. Fast forward to 1970 and Gerald's son, Jim, took over the family business after returning from Vietnam. Selling stereos, televisions, replacement parts, speakers, and PA equipment, Jim saw the opportunity to shift gears … [Read more...] about Farnsworth Electronics Beats Radio Shack

The pandemic has brought many new challenges to our daily lives. But there has been a silver lining for Brenton Croll and Seth Johnson from Shenandoah, Iowa. The two started making candles to pass time during quarantine.  And what started as a hobby turned into a successful candle company now known as No Coast Candle. Our original idea was to just make product for ourselves and close friends and family. Within a month, we had many people requesting products and we decided to sell our products … [Read more...] about No Coast Candle is on Fire

There's no such thing as too much coffee when it's coffee with a cause! Jumpy Monkey is coffee with a cause, a phrase that has become synonymous since 2003. This Sergeant Bluff, family-owned coffee roasting company is mission driven; providing meaningful employment to individuals with disabilities. Over the years Jump Monkey has been able to expand their reach. Collaborating with nonprofits, coffee shops and businesses throughout the Midwest, they have found employment for over 100 … [Read more...] about Jumpy Monkey – Coffee with a cause

CocoRoo's founder, Iowan Jill Howarth, was frustrated with all the added chemicals, water, and unnecessary ingredients in most skin care products, so she took matters into her own hands. Her journey began in Australia where she lived for 14 years. Living in the warm Australia sun is great for year-round fun, but also hard on your skin.  This, in addition to her passion for organic products, inspired Jill to create a natural and more effective way to moisturize and hydrate skin. She wanted to … [Read more...] about CocoRoo Natural Skin Care – Made with love in Iowa

Brooke Happe stepped away from her career as a Doctor of Physical Therapy in 2015 to stay home with her two boys and soon to be newborn daughter. She wanted to keep her hands strong, as she used manual therapy for most of her rehabilitation techniques, so she challenged herself to learn something new for this new season of life: crocheting. After countless yards of yarn and many hours of teaching herself to crochet via the internet, she made her first hat! She continued to practice the … [Read more...] about b.e.happe Designs – Bringing happiness to children in hospitals

Did you know that Mason City is home to the last remaining hotel designed by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright? Wright on the Park, Inc., is the nonprofit organization that restored, owns and preserves the Frank Lloyd Wright’s Historic Park Inn Hotel. The iconic building was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and originally opened in 1910. The design greatly influenced architecture in Europe and is as striking today as it ever was. According to an article in the Des Moines Register, the building … [Read more...] about Wright on the Park – Preserving a legacy

Inked Regards, a Dubuque based, online handmade greeting card store is bringing simple tokens of kindness and the joy of snail mail back to the present. Initially, Inked Regards owner, Melissa Chipperfield, used her creative skills to make clean and simple greeting card designs to share with fellow crafters. As time went on, she noticed the need for truly unique cards in an overly saturated market of mass production. After designing for several stamp companies and having a design … [Read more...] about Inked Regards – Kindness isn’t complicated

Allison Cabay knows something about herself: she loves to create. After a decade of being a full-time mom, Allison decided to reignite her passion for creating. Full days and nights of child-rearing had been fulfilling in many ways, but the creative passion that had fueled my younger years had faded to embers. I was more than ready to reignite it." - Allison For years, Allison used handmade soaps from farmers' markets because of the very noticeable effect on her skin. She also loved the … [Read more...] about Ember Tree Artisan Soap: The Full-Sensory Experience

Take a look at the Fine Art category on Shop Iowa and you will see, talent is not hard to come by. Nancy Cameron, who currently resides in Ottumwa, is one of the many talented artists in Iowa. Nancy has wanted to paint watercolor all of her life … but there was never enough time. Nancy began her watercolor journey just a few years ago following a career of teaching music. Nancy and her husband lived in Iowa, North Dakota, Montana, and Arkansas and traveled mostly in the western United … [Read more...] about Join Nancy Cameron on her joyful watercolor journey!