Des Moines Register Staff Blogs » New in the Neighborhood

Tumbling and trampoline center opens in Des Moines

Patt Johnson — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:28:07 +0000

John and Linda Harris have opened Unity Acrobatic Sports and Artistic Movement at 1800 Dixon St. in Des Moines. The studio focuses on power tumbling and trampoline gymnastics. Unity plans to add dance soon, said John Harris. Harris has been a coach since 1994 at other centers. Unity offers competitive and recreational tumbling and trampoline [...]

Electronic cigarette store opens on Franklin Avenue

Patt Johnson — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:28:11 +0000

Great Alternatives, an electronic cigarette and accessories store, has opened at 4930 Franklin Ave. in Des Moines. Father-daughter team Amber and Kelley Page opened the shop May 13 in the Franklin Plaza shopping center. Great Alternatives offers electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes, that are loaded with flavored liquid that makes a vapor that can [...]

Value Villa opens in Southridge Mall

Patt Johnson — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:55:50 +0000

Value Villa, a discount store selling consignment and liquidation merchandise, has opened in Southridge Mall in Des Moines. Owner Larry Hahn continues to fill the shop with used and new items clothing, furniture, household goods and other items said in the mall’s West End Shops near Target. Southridge is located at 1111 E. Army Post [...]

West Des Moines Bosnian eatery to add Urbandale cafe

Patt Johnson — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:46:39 +0000

Bosnian restaurant Saraj, 1300 50th St, West Des Moines, is adding a second location in the metro. Saraj Cafe and Bakery will open May 28 at 3916 N.W. Urbandale Dr. in Urbandale. Owner Fuada Aljic said the newest location, which is in a strip mall behind Jimmy John’s and Taco Johns, will offer bakery items, [...]

Cindy’s Corner Cafe is moving to a new spot in Urbandale

Patt Johnson — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:45:07 +0000

Cindy’s Corner Cafe in Urbandale could be serving homemade cinnamon toast soon. Owner Cindy Barnes-Stone is moving her growing business north three blocks to a larger space, 3017 100th St., which will include an expanded kitchen. “We’ll be able to do more homemade things there,” she said. Customers from the old Urbandale Cafe may remember [...]

Pancheros opening Friday in Altoona

Patt Johnson — Tue, 14 May 2013 20:40:57 +0000

Pancheros Mexican Grill will open a restaurant Friday in a new Altoona retail center. The fast-casual restaurant is at 3580 Eighth St. S.W. The 20-year-old chain is known for its freshly made tortillas and large burritos. The company has 62 stores in 20 states, including 19 in Iowa. The Altoona store will celebrate its opening [...]

Sapphire Gymnastics moves to a bigger space June 1

Patt Johnson — Tue, 14 May 2013 19:58:18 +0000

Sapphire Gymnastics Academy is moving to a new studio that will be twice the size of its current Urbandale location. The new 24,000-square-foot gym will open June 1 at 11401 Meredith Dr. in Urbandale. The new space will be fully air conditioned, have larger waiting areas for families and provide a separate gym for students [...]

Polk City screen printing shop adds locally branded apparel

Patt Johnson — Tue, 14 May 2013 18:40:22 +0000

P&M Apparel , a screen printing and embroidery company in Polk City, has added a retail apparel and accessories shop to its store at 206 W. Van Dorn St. The 26-year-old company is owned by Kay and Rob Ferin. The couple decided to expand into some adjacent unused space in the building it owns on [...]

Clive bistro will get a new look and a new name

Patt Johnson — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:00:02 +0000

French bistro Tartine, 12695 University Ave., Clive, closed Sunday and is expected to reopen next Monday with a new name and look. Owners Lynn and Sarah Pritchard are transforming the space into Table 128 Bistro + Bar. The new restaurant will have many of the same menu items as Tartine, but will have more dinner [...]

Deschutes Brewery brings its beer to Iowa

Patt Johnson — Thu, 09 May 2013 21:54:48 +0000

Deschutes Brewery, the nation’s fifth largest craft beer brand, according to the Brewers Association, is coming to Iowa. Johnson Brothers of Iowa will be the distributor of the beer to retail stores, restaurants and bars. Deschutes will be available in Iowa at the end of July in glass bottles and on draft, said Lyle Stutzman, [...]

Sonic Drive-In on Southwest 63rd Street closed

Patt Johnson — Wed, 08 May 2013 19:48:23 +0000

The Sonic Drive-In restaurant at 141 S.W. 63rd St. in Des Moines closed April 26. The store was open for about 10 years and employed about 20 people. The company still has locations at 5350 Merle Hay Road in Johnston and 1451 N. Ankeny Blvd. in Ankeny. Several of the workers from the closed store [...]

Hot dog restaurant will open Thursday in downtown Des Moines

Patt Johnson — Wed, 08 May 2013 17:13:16 +0000

A new downtown restaurant featuring gourmet hot dogs will open at 11 a.m. Thursday. Hotshots, 1220 Locust St., is the latest creation of chef Tony Lemmo, owner of Café di Scala and a partner in Gusto Pizza Co. in Des Moines, and businessman James Bruton. Lemmo calls the restaurant offerings “craft hotdoggery.” Menu items include [...]

Z’Mariks Noodle Cafe will open in Ankeny this summer

Patt Johnson — Tue, 07 May 2013 21:11:16 +0000

Z’Mariks Noodle Cafe, which has a store in Clive, is adding a restaurant in Ankeny that is expected to open in early August. The restaurant will be located in the Northview Centre, a retail development under construction at 18th Street and North Ankeny Boulevard. Z’Mariks is a fast-casual restaurant that serves made-to-order noodle, rice, soup [...]

Beaverdale makeup shop offers custom colors

Patt Johnson — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:55:07 +0000

Beatrice Edwards has moved her home-based makeup business Minerals by Bee to a storefront in Beaverdale. The shop opened May 1 at 3520 Beaver Ave., Suite D-4. Edwards offers mineral makeup in powder and liquid form that she blends. She also sells skin care products and fragrances. She said she started the company after moving [...]

Gusto Pizza will open a second location this summer

Patt Johnson — Mon, 06 May 2013 17:18:07 +0000

The owners of Gusto Pizza Co. on Ingersoll Avenue plan to add a second location in the metro this summer. Tony Lemmo, Josh Holderness and Joe McConville are opening a Gusto Pizza at 8950 University Ave. in West Des Moines. The pizza and sandwich eatery will be part of Greenway Crossing, a retail center under [...]

Parts assembly operation opens in Urbandale

Patt Johnson — Thu, 02 May 2013 17:43:14 +0000

Auto parts supplier Denso Corp. will hold a ribbon cutting Tuesday at its new Urbandale plant. Production at the plant, 11323 Meredith Dr., began in February and has seven employees. The Urbandale plant is a production operation and warehouse where Denso assembles cooling modules for the agricultural and construction industries, as well as radiator assemblies [...]

Ankeny pizzeria and pub to open in a month

Patt Johnson — Thu, 02 May 2013 17:23:44 +0000

A former Ankeny bowling alley is being transformed into the Wheelhouse Pizzeria & Pub. Chandler Evans said he expects the restaurant at 106 S.W. State St., to be open in about four weeks. The Denny Elwell Co., owns and is renovating the space. Evans and two partners chose the location because it was close to [...]

Christian Eye Clinic opens in Urbandale

Patt Johnson — Wed, 01 May 2013 21:34:04 +0000

Dr. Emad Shenouda has moved his office, Christian Eye Clinic, to Urbandale. Shenouda, an ophthalmologist, had operated the business in Southridge Mall before closing it when the mall was being remodeled. The new Urbandale office is at 7011 Douglas Ave. His practice offers general eye care services, and specializes in glaucoma, diabetes, macular degeneration and [...]

Iowa Network Services buys employment firm Merit Resources

Patt Johnson — Wed, 01 May 2013 17:13:31 +0000

Iowa Network Services, a group of 122 independent communications companies in the state, has bought employment services firm Merit Resources, the companies said today. Merit’s operations and management will remain in place, according to a press release. INS, which is based in West Des Moines, has been diversifying its operations since 2007. “We have intentionally [...]

Metro area Village Inn restaurants get a new look

Patt Johnson — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:15:23 +0000

Area Village Inn restaurants are getting face-lifts. Cosmetic changes to the inside and outside of the eateries are being completed on a staggered schedule. The Ankeny store, 1024 E. First St., was closed last week for the re-do, which included replacing booths, tables, chairs, carpeting and more, said Ian Johnston, assistant store manager. Some of [...]

Big Creek Pharmacy will move to new building this summer

Patt Johnson — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:52:12 +0000

Pharmacists Matt McNulty and Rockford Anderson plan to move Big Creek Pharmacy in Polk City to a building being constructed on West Bridge Road. The pair bought the pharmacy business last September and decided to move from its longtime location on the square in Polk City to a more modern building with a drive through, [...]

Consignment shop moved from Urbandale to Valley Junction

Patt Johnson — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 21:03:03 +0000

Act II Boutique consignment shop has moved to the Valley Junction shopping district in West Des Moines. The new address is 230 Fifth St. Owner Debbie Adkins moved from 3029 100th St. in Urbandale because there is more foot traffic in Valley Junction and the rent is more reasonable, she said. The more central location [...]

Hospice thrift store expands in Urbandale

Patt Johnson — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:40:40 +0000

HCI Giving Tree, the thrift shop operated by Hospice of Central Iowa, has expanded. The shop at 3330 100th St. in Urbandale has added 2,000 square feet to its original 4,000-square-foot location. The extra space includes an antiques section and larger area for children’s furniture and clothing. There also is a new “scratch and dent” [...]

Tony Lemmo to open Hotshots ‘craft hotdoggery’

Joe Lawler — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 18:21:10 +0000

Cafe di Scala owner Tony Lemmo and James Bruton are planning to open Hotshots in early May, which the chef is dubbing a “craft hotdoggery.” The restaurant will be located in the same spot Lemmo’s former restaurant, Host, occupied at 1220 Locust St. The restaurant will feature unique options like a Vietnamese-inspired “Bahn Mi Dog” [...]

Life Time Fitness plans to build a center in Urbandale

Patt Johnson — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:21:07 +0000

Life Time Fitness, the Chanhassen, Minn.-based fitness center company, has resurrected plans to build a club in Urbandale. The company bought about 17 acres on Hickman Road near Interstate Highway 85-30 and plans to begin construction this spring with completion in about a year, said Natalie Bushaw, Life Time spokeswoman. Life Time had proposed a [...]

Prana Salon offers facials and Reiki services

Patt Johnson — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:25:46 +0000

Ashley and Richard Castellano have opened Prana Spa at 2440 82nd Place in Urbandale. Ashley Castellano is an esthetician and offers waxing, makeup application, peels, facials and eyelash extensions, using natural products. Richard Castellano provides Reiki, a Japanese method of energy healing, meant to relieve stress through the laying on of hands. The shop is [...]

Tuesday Morning moves to University Park shopping center

Patt Johnson — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:15:25 +0000

Discount home goods and accessories retailer Tuesday Morning has moved to another location in West Des Moines. The store relocated to University Park shopping center at 8801 University Ave., which also houses Pier 1 Imports and Toys R Us. It had been in Clocktower Square shopping center, 2900 University Ave. for 10 years. Tuesday Morning [...]

Small animal veterinary clinic opens in Ankeny

Patt Johnson — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:28:20 +0000

Veterinarian Stacey Munger has opened a small animal veterinary clinic in Ankeny. Heart of Ankeny Animal Hospital opened this week at 701 S.W. Ordnance Road. Munger is originally from Urbandale and graduated in 2006 from Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine. She worked at clinics in Savannah, Ga. and Woodbury, Minn., before returning to [...]

More Dunkin’ Donuts planned for the metro

Patt Johnson — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 21:36:36 +0000

Des Moines businessman and doughnut dealer Drew Cownie has plans to build three more Dunkin’ Donuts stores in the metro this year. The stores are all new construction and will open in staggered order beginning this summer, he said. Locations are: 8950 University Ave., Suite 101 – This store will be located in a small [...]

Jobs program finds success in training and placing skilled workers

Patt Johnson — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 18:35:00 +0000

Douglas Wells’ path to a well paying job with potential for advancement had a few bumps, but the 27-year-old man credits perseverance and a public and privately funded training and mentoring program with helping him reach his goal. Wells completed a welding course and has been working at Bridgestone Firestone tire plant in Des Moines. [...]

Raccoon Forks Trading Co. moves to former livery stable

Patt Johnson — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 20:31:05 +0000

Raccoon Forks Trading Co., which sells art, antiques, used primitives, pottery and other items, has moved to 509 E. Fifth St. in East Village of Des Moines. The shop was previously at 321 E. Walnut St. The space was formerly occupied by Silo, a vintage and handmade goods shop owned by Kasey and Jordana Henke [...]

Pleasant Hill restaurant has new owner and new name

Patt Johnson — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:01:32 +0000

The old 5 & Diner in Pleasant Hill has a new owner and a new name. The restaurant at 5015 E. University Ave. recently became Pleasant Hill Diner. Its new owner is Tina Hellyer, who had worked as general manager there. The former owners were Danny and Betty Thurman, who opened the restaurant in 2002. [...]

Perkins Restaurant set to open this summer in Ankeny

Patt Johnson — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 22:26:18 +0000

Ankeny will get its first Perkins Restaurant & Bakery this July. Construction on a 5,400-square-foot store at 714 S.E. Oralabor Road began recently. The franchise owner is Jim Rahfaldt of CyHawk Hospitality in Sioux City. The restaurant will seat 176 people in two large dining areas that will include booths and tables with high-back chairs. [...]

Laser tattoo removal studio opens on Merle Hay Road

Patt Johnson — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 18:17:11 +0000

Lori Reams Parrish has opened a laser tattoo and nail fungus removal business called Precision Laser Studio at 4725 Merle Hay Road, Suite 204, in the Oakmoor Office Building in Des Moines. Parrish trained at the New Look Laser College in Houston and at Pure Skin Laser School in Macon, Ga. Along with nail fungus [...]

Franklin Plaza motorcycle shop services all makes and models

Patt Johnson — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 16:11:46 +0000

J & J Motorcycle Repair and Detailing has opened a shop in the Franklin Plaza shopping center, 4926 Franklin Ave., Des Moines. The business had been located at 751 N.E. Broadway Ave. in Des Moines since it opened about two years ago, said John Pratt, who owns the shop with his wife Joan Janssen. The [...]

Supercuts adds a third location in West Des Moines

Patt Johnson — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 20:54:12 +0000

A third metro-area Supercuts hair salon has opened. The newest store is at 650 S. 50th St. in West Des Moines, which is near the corner of 50th Street and Mills Civic Parkway. The salon offers haircuts, color and other services for men, women and children. Owner Brian Papenberg opened his first location in 2011 [...]

Beaverdale bistro Flarah’s closes its doors

Patt Johnson — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 19:18:43 +0000

The owner of a Beaverdale building that housed Flarah’s restaurant, confirmed the locally owned eatery known for its bite-sized cheesecakes, has moved out. Joe Giudicessi, who owns the building known as Joe’s Corner, said Flarah’s closed up earlier this week. Giudicessi also owns Christopher’s restaurant across the street. Flarah’s owner Erin Van Dorin announced on [...]

Yanni’s Grill in Altoona will close at the end of the month

Patt Johnson — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 17:29:08 +0000

Yanni’s Grill & Vineyard in Altoona will close April 28. The restaurant, which is at 3160 Eighth St. S.W., is one of two Yanni’s owned by Oswaldo “Ozzy” Ochoa. The other eatery at 410 S. Ankeny Blvd. in Ankeny will remain open, Ochoa said. “It was a hard decision for me to close the Altoona [...]

Name that building, Des Moines

Patt Johnson — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 22:21:34 +0000

Developers of the former Younkers department store building at Seventh and Walnut streets in downtown Des Moines are on a quest to find a new name for the soon-to-be reborn 114-year-old structure. “We’re pulling together our closing documents on the project and construction is set for the beginning of June so we’re looking for a [...]

Mexican grocery store opens on Southeast 14th Street

Patt Johnson — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 22:18:59 +0000

El Ranchero Mexican Store has opened at 4121 S.E. 14th St. in Des Moines. The grocery store carries a variety of Mexican and Central American groceries, including fresh produce and dairy, said owner Juan Ceniseros of Norwalk. The store opened April 13 in a space formerly occupied by an Asian supermarket. Ceniseros, 47, also is [...]

Family shoe store opens in Ankeny retail center

Patt Johnson — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 17:58:50 +0000

Brown’s Shoe Fit Co. has opened at 2732 S.E. Delaware Ave. in Ankeny near the Old Chicago restaurant in Crossroads Shopping Center. The 102-year-old company sells brand-named shoes for the family including Life Stride, Merrell, New Balance, UGG, Born, Naturalizer, Dansko, Keen, Nike and others. Justin Porter owns the Ankeny store and has part ownership [...]

Child care center opens in Johnston

Patt Johnson — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 20:34:53 +0000

Robert and Bonnie Netteland have opened their eighth child care center in the western suburbs of Des Moines. The new Traditions Children’s Center in Johnston began caring for children on March 4 at 9809 White Oak Lane. The Nettelands built the center, which is south of Horizon Elementary School. It can accommodate 195 children ages [...]

Hope Ministries Thrift Store moves to Urbandale on May 1

Patt Johnson — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 18:21:03 +0000

Hope Ministries is moving its thrift store from Pleasant Hill to Urbandale in May. The shop will continue operating at 4950 N.E. 12th Ave., Pleasant Hill, until April 12. It will open at its new location in a former flooring business building at 4640 Merle Hay Road, north of the Quik Trip, on May 1, [...]

Gardner Law Firm opens in Urbandale

Patt Johnson — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 21:17:10 +0000

Matthew Gardner has opened a law practice in Urbandale. Gardner Law Firm is at 2900 100th St., Suite 207. The practice focuses on estate planning, trusts and estates, small business services, and real estate. Gardner, who lives in Urbandale, was raised on a farm near Centerville and graduated from Iowa State University and Drake University [...]

EP True Burger Cafe in West Des Moines serves Tex Mex and smoked meat sandwiches

Patt Johnson — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 19:55:36 +0000

Stephen Collins has opened EP True Burger Café at 50th and E.P. True Parkway in West Des Moines. The café opened in late March in the space where El Toro Mexican Restaurant had operated. Collins described the burger café at 5014 E.P. True, as a family owned and operated business that uses good selection of [...]

Heating and cooling business expands to Clive

Patt Johnson — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:27:52 +0000

Brian Stenger has moved his business, Midwest Comfort Heating/Cooling, to an office at 1985 N.W. 94th St., Suite F, in Clive. Stenger, who has been in the business 18 years, studied HVAC sales and building maintenance at Des Moines Area Community College. He started Midwest Comfort six years ago out of his Windsor Heights home, [...]

The Funky Zebras boutique adds a shop in Valley Junction

Patt Johnson — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 16:06:24 +0000

The Funky Zebras boutique, which has shops in Ankeny and Urbandale, is opening a shop in Valley Junction. The store opens this weekend at 222 ½ Fifth St. in West Des Moines. This is the third store owner Cheryl Hayes has opened in two years. The Ankeny store at 305 S.E. Oralabor Road, Suite A, [...]

Gino’s Italian restaurant reopens on Sixth Avenue

Patt Johnson — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 20:03:01 +0000

Gino’s is back. After a three-month hiatus, the long-time Des Moines restaurant at 2809 Sixth Ave. is reopening with new owners. “I had been a chef here for 31 years and I thought it would be great to keep the legacy going,” said James Grove, who is reviving the popular Italian eatery with Christy Reay, [...]

Car-X Express Oil opens on 86th Street in Clive

Patt Johnson — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 21:21:21 +0000

Car-X Express Oil has opened at 1440 N.W. 86th St. in Clive, next door to the Car-X Tire and Auto service center. The quick oil change business is in a building formerly occupied by Valvoline Instant Oil Change, which closed several months ago. Before that several other oil change businesses were located there. Car-X Des [...]

Southridge Mall will get an ‘ice’ skating rink this May

Patt Johnson — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 18:45:10 +0000

A skating rink will open this May in Southridge Mall on Army Post Road in Des Moines. No mittens, hats or scarves required. The soon to be constructed 52-foot by 34-foot synthetic ice rink will allow skaters to glide across the smooth polymer surface as if they were on real ice, said Burton Powley, rink [...]