Events at Picker Knows
The ownership group of the Picker Knows antique mall has expanded its business operations in the former Dahl’s grocery store in West Des Moines on Grand Avenue. The extra space is for hosting events like weddings, and it will be called Decades Event Venue. The area contains approximately 5,000 square feet, and it is decorated with old pictures, books, toys, antiques and unique items of many kinds. The new event venue features a bar, a ballroom and it has seating for 300. Its maximum capacity is 500.
Hotel – Sleep Inn & Suites
Hart Family Hotels is setting March of 2017 as the date for its new Sleep Inn & Suites that will be located in the West Glen and Jordan Creek Town Center shopping, dining and entertainment district in West Des Moines on the southeast corner of Mills Civic Parkway and Interstate 35. The new hotel will be the eighth that is owned and operated by Hart Family Hotels. The new building will be modeled after the new prototype for Sleep Inn and Suites. Work on the building has already started.
Sale of Palmer Group
Palmer Group, a Des Moines-area employment agency founded by Austin Palmer in 1998, announced the formation and sale of its employment business to the Palmer Group Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). The firm was previously owned by Austin and Stacie Palmer and currently employs 65 employment professionals and hundreds of temporary and contract employees, providing clients with a range of employment services. Austin Palmer remains as president. The ESOP provides employees with the opportunity to earn stock in the company and is designed as a long-term retirement benefit for all employee owners. The company said the transaction will reinforce Palmer Group’s commitment to local ownership and strengthen its ties to Des Moines and the central Iowa community.
Dino’s opens
Dino’s Bar & Grill is open at 5962 Ashworth Road in West Des Moines at the former site of the Kabab House. The restaurant seats 50 people and serves both lunch and dinner. The hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The restaurant can be contacted at 515-809-1708.
Olson-Larsen Galleries wins $8,000
Olson-Larsen Galleries, an art gallery in West Des Moines’ Historic Valley Junction, has been named as a regional contest winner of Main Street Iowa’s Open 4 Business competition. The gallery’s business expansion plan has now earned the company $2,000 at the local competition and an additional $8,000 from the regional contest. The Open 4 Business program consists of local, regional and state competitions that offer businesses located in Main Street Iowa districts the opportunity to expand. Olson-Larsen Galleries is now eligible to enter the statewide contest that will be held in Mason City on Aug. 2. Five businesses will compete at the state level, and the winner will pocket an additional $20,000.Olson-Larsen Galleries is located at 203 Fifth St. in West Des Moines. Call 515- 277-6734 or find them at www.olsonlarsen.com.
Twisted Vine Brewery gets new location
The Twisted Vine Brewery has found a new location. The beer-maker has moved 25 miles from St. Charles to a much bigger space in West Des Moines, where Denny Arthur’s used to be. The brewery has transformed itself from being a small 400-square-foot shop into a sprawling 7,200-square-foot operation, which includes a 3,500-square-foot tasting room and patio. Currently, Twisted Blonde, Green Banshee and 5 O’Clock Ale beers are offered, among others, which are all on tap. Twisted is located at 3320 Westown Parkway, West Des Moines. Call 515-720-2940 or visit twistedvinebrewery.com. Open Wednesday and Thursday from 4-9 p.m., Friday from 4-11 p.m., Saturday from noon to 11 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.
Baby store to close
Little Padded Seats, a cloth diaper shop in Valley West Mall that sells reusable diapers and accessories along with other “natural-parenting” needs, is planning to close at the end of July. The shop was originally an online business established in 2008, but lower sales and diminished traffic have prompted the owners to pursue other ventures. The store is located in Valley West Mall next to the kids’ play place on the lower level near Younkers.
Yesway
A new chain of gas station named Yesway will soon be entering central Iowa. BW Gas & Convenience Holdings LLC, an affiliate of Brookwood Financial Partners LLC, recently announced its plans to acquire 21 Iowa convenience stores from Kum & Go.
And the company said it isn’t stopping there. It plans to have 31 locations operational in Iowa and will spend more than $6.5 million to remodel the buildings. The initial three stores will be purchased in Mason City this week and the next 18 will follow over the next month. If all goes as planned, the company said it could soon grow its holdings up to 1,000 stores in the Midwest.
Waukee is growing
The city of Waukee just wrapped up its fiscal year, and according to officials, for the third consecutive year the suburb tallied a record number of building permits. Waukee’s desirable quality of life, sense of community and availability of developable land were cited as contributing factors to the growth. From July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016, the City issued 1,054 building permits with a valuation totaling $180.8 million. The number surpasses last year’s record of 815 permits with a total valuation of $131 million. More than half the total dollar value that was totaled by permits in the fiscal year of 2016 permits was attributed to single-family home construction.
WDM company buys a winery
Krause Holdings Inc., a business that’s based in West Des Moines and headed up by Kyle Krause as the president and chief executive officer, has purchased a historic Italian winery in Castiglione Falletto, which is in the Piedmont region of Italy. The company obtained 84 acres along with the winery that was founded in 1873, according to Wine Spectator magazine. The price hasn’t yet been disclosed, but the current CEO is reportedly being retained.
New bakery coming to West Des Moines
Miss Nini’s Fine Desserts will open Nov. 4 at 9500 University Ave., Suite 2104, in the Hawthorne Center. Janine Knop has been selling her dessert items online and at area coffee shops including Zanzibar’s Coffee Adventure , Friedrichs Coffee and the Village Bean. Knop, who has a degree in home economics and food nutrition, will be offering breakfast and lunch items in her new shop, along with coffee, wine, craft beers and other beverages. The shop will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and will seat about 30. Call 712-249-0145 or visit www.missnini.com.
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