Iowa Small Business Stories

Flint River Home Decor is a family business that started in 2017 by Josh and Melissa (Missy) Dean. Their mission is to connect people to handmade home decor that is beautiful, high quality, functional, and simple. They want to help people decorate their homes with rustic decor that will help friends and families connect and enjoy each other’s company. All of their products are handmade, by Josh and Missy, from hardwoods and reclaimed wood. They also offer free customization on several … [Read more...] about Flint River Home Decor – Connecting people to handmade home decor

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!

Honor and Respect started in 2018 when current Marion Police Officer and U.S. Air Force veteran Ron Slagle prayed about how he and his family could help first responders and military personnel with the current mental health crisis. It began small with the family coming together to design a shoe that would allow others to show their support, and has grown into a bigger plan that God had His hand on. In July of 2019 Honor and Respect was featured on Fox and Friends and the response was very … [Read more...] about Honor and Respect – Making Mental Health a Priority for Our Heroes!

A fascination with bees sparked decades ago turned into keeping a few hives... then a few more. Andy Joseph, Catherine Rihm and their son live in the Beaverdale neighborhood of Des Moines and currently care for about 200 hives. While the bees are located in and around Polk County including Madison, Warren and Dallas Counties, they run their small business out of their home. MeadowBlazing Star honey is 100% raw wildflower honey, a blend of honey their bees produce as they forage on the … [Read more...] about Meadow BlazingStar Honey – Straight from the hive!

As Midwesterners, we are very familiar with the four seasons. Ashley Hahn believes that while we celebrate the wonders of the changing seasons and moments that come along with them, we should take time to celebrate the seasons of LOVE and FAITH all year long. Which is why she created Shop Six Seasons. Ashley defines herself as a wife, mother, small business owner and all around lover of life! In her free time (when she's not taking care of her three children)  you can find her dancing in … [Read more...] about Shop Six Seasons – Lifestyle Fashion For All

Meet the proud owners of Purple Ribbon General Store, the Hunter family. Pete, Cindy, Sara, Ashley, Jess & Rylan Located in Clarion, Iowa, Purple Ribbon General Store is a one-of-a-kind, family-owned general store. They offer premium Iowa products such as home decor, candles, local foods and honey.   You can also find their namesake, Purple Ribbon Beef. They pride themselves on raising premium beef from birth to plate. Not only is their beef BQA (Beef Quality Assurance) … [Read more...] about Purple Ribbon General Store – quality standards & sustainable farming practices

Welcome to DKW Art Gallery & Studios! Owned and operated by Deb and Mark Weiser, DKW is an active and involved art gallery located in the heart of Marion, Iowa. DKW is a unique and fun exhibit of regional artwork, from various local artists, at affordable prices. They're proud of the fact that they've introduced many customers to their first original piece of art, as there’s no sticker shock as in most galleries. Deb has been an artist for over 30 years, working in a variety of … [Read more...] about DKW Art Gallery – Art Lives Here