It's a used furniture store for today's web shopper.
Cindy Knebel discusses her new twist on old furniture at 1 Million Cups in Cedar Rapids this week.
Revisit Warehouse opened this January in North Liberty offering reused and repurposed furniture, along with design consultation, workshops, cabinet painting and furniture customization. It also offers specialized paints for use over existing finishes.
Owner Cindy Knebel likes the quality and authenticity of older furniture, and helping clients visualize the possibilities for those pieces through the magic of finishes and modifications.
"Have you heard the saying that one person's trash is another's treasure?" she asked. "It's true."
By buying used furniture, she said, shoppers can pick up unique and durable items that can be customized to accent and enhance their homes - while reducing waste at the same time.
After previously operating a consignment furniture store, Ms. Knebel realized she liked the furniture business, but learned during Venture School at the University of Iowa that she needed to develop a better business model with acceptable profit margins. With that mission in mind, she opened in an economical 1,250-square-foot warehouse-like space at 1350 Kennel Court, Unit B5 and focused on the online shopper.
Everything in the store can be found online, ordered and delivered within a 30-mile radius.
The store itself is only open two days a week, Fridays and Saturdays, but customers who like what they see online and want to decide in person can schedule appointments. Ms. Knebel presented her business at 1 Million Cups on April 4 in Cedar Rapids. Visit the Revisit Warehouse website
here.
Cranky's Uptown Bicycles rides off into the sunset
Cranky's Uptown Bicycles, which had gathered a following among cycling enthusiasts in Marion, announced this week it would close its doors. PHOTO: FACEBOOK
A Marion bike shop that opened in 2016 and gained a fast and loyal following has announced plans to shut its doors.
"Due to a pending spouse relocation for work, I made the hard decision to close Cranky's Uptown over the next few months," owner Jeff Patterson announced on the shop's Facebook page this week. "It's just too hard to try to manage a business on top of the big changes for her, so we're bringing it to an end. It's been great to be a part of Marion Uptown and to have you all as customers."
Cranky's Uptown Bicycles opened in May 2016 at 1170 Seventh Avenue in Marion featuring a full line of bikes, parts and accessories, and a full-service repair shop offering tune-ups, flat repairs and full bike overhauls.
The Marion bike shop was Mr. Patterson's third stab at running a cycling business. According to the
Marion Times,
he opened his first bike shop in Iowa City in 1994 after graduating from the University of Iowa and another, Cranky Jeff's Bicycle Shop, in Rapid City when his wife's career took them to South Dakota.
Mr. Patterson told his disappointed Facebook fans there would probably not be a fourth store.
"Worked hard to be an independent for a long, long time," he wrote, "but this shop is probably the last one for me."
The shop was closed through Wednesday of this week to begin marking items down for a closing sale. It has since re-opened, and while it will continue to honor 30-day and annual tune-ups, it is no longer offering other check-up or tune-up services.
Small businesses paying higher wages, NFIB study shows
About one-third of small business owners reported increasing compensation rates in response to a tight labor market, according to the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB)'s monthly Jobs Report released today.
"Small businesses are telling us that they're optimistic, hiring, and willing to raise wages to find the right employees for their businesses," NFIB President and CEO Juanita Duggan said in a statement accompanying the
report showing 33 percent of employers had boosted pay.
Small business owners reported a seasonally-adjusted average employment change per firm of 0.36 workers, one of the best readings in survey history. A seasonally-adjusted 14 percent of owners said they are increasing employment by an average of 2.8 workers per firm.
"It's a positive sign that we're seeing small business owners creating new jobs at historic levels," said NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg. "Aside from the past four months, you'd have to go back to 1999 to see 20 percent or above on job creation plans."
Businesses hiring or trying to hire rose one point to 53 percent, but 47 percent reported few or no qualified workers. In addition, 21 percent of owners cited difficulty finding qualified workers as their most important business problem, down one point from February. Thirty-five percent of all owners reported job openings they could not fill in the current period, up one point, tying July and October 2017 for the highest reading since November 2000.
Professional service firms were most affected with 35 percent of owners saying labor quality is their top problem. Thirty percent plan to increase total employment, up three points, and two percent plan reductions, down one point. Hiring plans were the strongest in construction, manufacturing, and wholesale trades.
The U.S. Small Business Administration backed 25 loans worth about $10.7 million for the month of March to Iowa businesses, including two in the Corridor.
Corridor businesses securing SBA-backed loans in March included:
Robins Bar & Grill LLC, of Robins, which received $128,000.
Maier Farm & Stables LLC, of Riverside, which received $212,000.
Loans to those companies totaled $340,000, the smallest loan amount so far in 2018 - and of the past six months.
Corridor companies receiving these loans reported creating four jobs as a result. Statewide, SBA loans helped businesses
create 85 new jobs and retain 208 others.
Consulting: When it comes to branding, keep it simple
In this week's consulting spotlight, Lynn Manternach of Mindfire Communications, Inc. explains why grabbing consumers' attention quickly is the key to effective branding.
Is less really more when it comes to branding? To put it simply, yes.
Competition is stiff and the consumer's attention span is short. Marketing and branding messages are everywhere and consumers are constantly bombarded. There are too many distractions and not enough time to process complex information. That means you have to have something relevant to say - something consumers actually care about - and it has to be simple to understand.
In a noisy world, simplicity and focus are highly effective ways to drive competitive advantage. According to the Siegel+Gale Global Brand Simplicity Index, simplicity strengthens a brand in measurable ways. Nearly two-thirds of consumers say they are willing to pay more for a simpler experience. Seven out of 10 are more likely to refer a brand that provides a simpler experience.
Simple brand ideas result in powerful and memorable branding that people immediately connect with. Those ideas have to make it clear that the brand is different and relevant to their needs. That means you need simplicity in approach, in processes, in communication and more.
Consumers make snap judgments. They think in a blink. The clearer the message, the easier it is for the consumer to make a decision. If your targeted consumer doesn't quickly understand what you're selling and why they should care, you've lost them.
USA Today reports on tiny Marne, Iowa, population 120, and its gambit to attract new housing developers, businesses and startups by offering free land.
Omaha and Council Bluffs have come together to launch the Kitchen Council, the Midwest's largest food incubator, to lower the entry barrier for food entrepreneurs, according to Silicon Prairie News.
Forward the FREE, weekly CBJ on Small Business newsletter to your friends and colleagues, and share the feeling of being informed! Use our fast, one-minute subscription to the CBJ's newsletters
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See something we missed? Send tips, leads, corrections, etc. to [email protected].
Corridor Stocks
NAME
SYM
PRICE
CHG
%CHG
AEGON
AEG
6.79
0.12
1.72%
Alliant Energy
LNT
41.33
0.42
1.03%
Deere & Company
DE
151.34
2.74
1.84%
Dow Jones
^DJI
24,505.22
240.92
0.99%
General Mills
GIS
45.43
0.06
0.13%
GoDaddy Inc.
GDDY
60.93
0.39
0.64%
Great Western Bank
GWB
39.88
0.35
0.89%
Heartland Express
HTLD
18.15
-0.28
-1.52%
KemPharm
KMPH
6.70
-0.15
-2.19%
Marsh & McLennan
MMC
82.14
0.15
0.18%
MidWestOne
MOFG
33.09
0.21
0.64%
Pearson
PSO
10.30
-0.06
-0.56%
Pepsico
PEP
110.57
0.39
0.35%
Principal Financial
PFG
61.31
0.27
0.44%
QCR Holdings
QCRH
45.90
0.55
1.21%
Rockwell Collins
COL
135.31
0.29
0.21%
S&P 500
^GSPC
2,662.84
18.15
0.69%
Tanger Factory
SKT
23.18
0.15
0.67%
Procter & Gamble
PG
78.80
-0.25
-0.32%
United Fire Group
UFCS
48.13
0.43
0.90%
U.S. Bank
USB
51.08
0.39
0.77%
Wells Fargo
WFC
53.26
0.35
0.66%
West Bank
WTBA
25.90
0.1 0
0.39%
Whirlpool
WHR
152.61
0.99
0.65%
Short-Term Event Planner
April 5-6
Beyond Rubies Conference, by Kirkwood Community College, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., The Hotel at Kirkwood Center, 7725 Kirkwood Blvd., Cedar Rapids. Hear from women of all generations and backgrounds on how to succeed while juggling increasingly complex and diverse life demands. Cost: Single day, $145. For more information and registration, visit
kirkwood.edu/rubies or call (319) 398-1022.
April 6
Coffee Connections, by Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce, 7:30 a.m., Spotix, 2810 Stoner Court, North Liberty. Join community members for an hour of energetic networking before work. Free. For more information, visit
bit.ly/2H0dK8U.
April 9
Coralville Roundtable, by Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce, noon-1 p.m., Gus' Food and Spirits, 2421 Coral Court, Coralville. Roundtables are social lunches over the noon hour. All are invited to network and keep up-to-date with chamber and community events. Free for members. Call the chamber at (319) 337-9637 if interested and not a member.
IIG Monthly Meeting, by Iowa Investors Group, 7 p.m., Community Savings Bank, 101 Robins Square Court, Robins. Charlie Sauer will speak over Skype about his efforts on patent reform and the Inventors Groups of America. Free. For more information, visit
iowainventorsgroup.org.
Headlines from CBS2/FOX 28
These news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28
With a kinder, more Iowa-like tone, Senator Charles Grassley is telling Donald Trump that he told him so: "Consequently the chickens are coming home to roost with what we warned the president about!" Sen. Grassley says he told President Trump if he levied tariffs on Chinese goods in an effort to level the playing field on trade, they would retaliate and agriculture would pay the biggest price. After already targeting the pork industry, China resumed the tit for tat tariff battle Wednesday and announced another $50 billion in US products it intends to tax, including soybeans and corn. Sen. Grassley calls it very worrisome, especially when Iowa farmers are struggling to recover from years of depressed grain prices and counting on expanded trade to make a living. Members of the Iowa Soybean Association just returned from their latest trade mission to China, anticipating the worst. The organization says China consumes 60 percent of US soy exports and Iowa is the second largest soybean producer in the country. The USDA just announced last month that for the first time in 35 years more beans are being grown in Iowa than corn. While some farmers fear the latest shots fired will escalate into a trade war between the two global powers, others are more optimistic. Tim Keegan and his family produce corn and soybeans near Mount Vernon. He says he speaks only for himself, but being wounded in a trade war may be worth the pain if it brings equality to world markets. "In any industry there's mixed opinions from people involved in it, but I do think it's a sacrifice we're going to have to make," Mr. Keegan said. But former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, who now serves as US Ambassador to China, says he doesn't see it that way. He worked for years building a relationship with now President Xi Jinping to improve direct agriculture exchanges between Iowa and China, "I don't want to see a trade war, I want to see us work together to resolve these difference. It would be better to work these things out." Read the rest of the story
here.
A pedestrian was hit and killed while crossing Highway 218 in Johnson County Thursday morning. The Iowa State Patrol says it happened just south of the I-380/I-80 interchange around 5:22 a.m. A crash report says 23-year-old John Riffle IV of Springville was crossing the roadway and was hit by a semi truck in the northbound lanes. He was taken to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics where he died. The crash is still under investigation.
These news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28
CBS2 Chief Meteorologist Terry Swails' Weather First Forecast
Today will be the warmest day of the week before colder air moves back in and another round of snow arrives this weekend. A weak disturbance is moving through which may lead to an isolated rain or snow shower. Otherwise it will be cloudy with temperatures in the upper 30s in the north to mid 40s in the south. Colder air moves in tonight behind this system and winds will pick up out of the northwest.
Temperatures will be in the 30s Friday through the weekend. There will be a mix of sun and clouds Friday with full on sunshine Saturday. Then... another, stronger storm moves into the state Sunday. This storm will bring widespread snow showers to eastern Iowa. There will likely be accumulation across most of eastern Iowa. Right now it looks like the higher accumulation will be in the northwestern portions of the area (near and NW of Waterloo). Snow showers wind down early Monday and the chilly weather continues into early next week. Then... maybe a glimmer of hope toward spring midweek. Temperatures will warm into the 50s Wednesday with the chance for showers and thunderstorms.
Revisit Warehouse brings new furniture concept to the Corridor
