Kate Dreyer, Kay Boyer and Jessica Meyer plan to open The Shop Iowa City later this month in the old University Camera site at 4 S. Dubuque St. PHOTOS THE SHOP
The Shop Iowa City, set to open in the former University Camera location at 4 S. Dubuque St. later this month, is all about bringing the past to life again.
Not only are co-owners Jessica Meyer, Kate Dreyer and Kay Boyer gutting the longtime photo and camera shop - exposing original hardwood floors and removing soffits and ceiling tile to feature the original white tin ceiling - they plan to use the space to showcase vintage, restored and repurposed furniture and home decor.
"We try to offer the coolest things we can find," said Ms. Meyer, adding The Shop would also sell some new items and a limited inventory of clothing.
Billing itself as "a thoughtfully curated shop put together by 3 women-owned businesses under one roof," Ms. Meyer said much of the store's stock will come from picking expeditions, property auctions and estate sales.
"Our target customer is trendy, someone who wants those unique items for their home," she said. "These will be one-of-a-kind pieces, not cookie cutter items from big box stores."
For several years, Ms. Dreyer and Ms. Boyer have sold their pieces at The Shop in Kalona, where they are also co-owners. Ms. Meyer, who sells items through her independent business Good Folk Trading Co., says her latest obsession is working with reclaimed wood and old barn board, turning it into art, small furniture items and other goods.
"Basically, this is three separate businesses under one roof," Ms. Meyer said, adding that she and her co-owners feel they have found the perfect location for their eclectic mix of old-meets-new.
"All three of us had a dream to be in Iowa City and we've already had such a great response," she said, adding that although the co-owners considered a pop-up shop on the Iowa City Ped Mall, there was no question where they wanted to be when the former University Camera went up for rent. "It's such a cute area and a great space, we wanted to make it happen. And we think this is the best way to make it happen."
The team at the shop is inviting the public to follow their progress on Facebook as they prepare to open within the next several weeks.
The number of new business filings in Iowa in fiscal year 2018 rose to 23,649, up from 21,665 in fiscal 2017.
The 9.2 percent increase was the fourth consecutive increase in the state's new business filings, following an increase from 20,300 in FY2016 to 21,665 in FY2017.
"This is terrific news for Iowa and the state of our economy," Secretary of State Paul Pate said in a release. "Each of the past three years, more than 20,000 new businesses have launched in our state, and 2018 is by far our best year ever. This shows Iowans have more income that they are willing to invest and create jobs in our state."
Mr. Pate launched a new Fast Track Filing system in June that greatly expedites the process of registering a business with the state. The average processing time is less than five minutes during regular business hours, and less than 24 hours during non-business hours.
As Des Moines prepares to host the third Best of the Midwest Angel Capital Association (ACA) Conference in September, organizers are rallying to make the regional meeting stand out.
"These meetings move from place to place every year, so it's likely we won't be seeing this meeting again for 10 to 15 years," Mike Colwell, executive director of the Greater Des Moines Partnership, told Des Moines Business Record staff writer Kate Hayden this week.
The conference will be held Sept.19-20 at the Hilton Des Moines Downtown, and registration is open to both ACA members and nonmembers. Registration for a separate workshop held during that time on the fundamentals of angel investing is also available. Organizers expect to see 150 angel investors or representatives at the conference.
The Greater Des Moines Partnership is taking a model established at last year's Omaha event and aiming higher: Instead of inviting five nominated startups to pitch in front of conference attendees, 10 startup leaders from across the Midwest will pitch - potentially earning investment from the conference's main fund, the Best of the Midwest DSM LLC. Funds raised through the Best of the Midwest DSM will be pooled for equal investment in the startups that event judges approve to receive investment.
Presenting startups from the Midwest must be nominated by one current investor, Mr. Colwell said. Conference attendees will receive a list of all presenting startups at least one week before the conference, including background and term sheets.
"Over half the total time at this event ... will be spent listening to startups pitch for your investment as an angel investor. A lot of angels, that's what they want; they want to look at more deals," Mr. Colwell said. "You may come and see 10 phenomenal companies ... write a $75,000 check and take a piece of the whole town, or go cut a deal directly to invest in any one of the 10 you saw."
The conference will also feature keynote speaker Paul Singh, live music at the Iowa Taproom (provided by local startup HomeDitty), and a luncheon session on Sept. 20 open to 100 additional members of the public, exploring Des Moines' insurance startup ecosystem.
The regional ACA Conference is significant in the growth of angel investor groups across the Midwest, Mr. Colwell said.
"I think the Midwest group has the largest attendance of any of those regions at the national meeting, and it's because, I think, a lot of people in the Midwest are still seeking the information," he said. "Those meetings mean a lot."
"We don't get as many deals, because we don't have as many people and startups. That's getting better, but it takes time," he added.
Survey: Small businesses should up their digital payment game
Small and medium-sized businesses may need to increase their focus on accepting digital payments, according to a
new survey conducted by Visa.
The survey of 425 businesses and nearly 2,500 consumers found that 52 percent of consumers would prefer to shop online if possible. More than 80 percent of consumers mentioned that digital benefits, including customer loyalty programs and easy-browsing websites, were motivating factors when deciding where to shop.
By a large margin, customers said they preferred to pay with credit cards or mobile devices. Visa found that 78 percent would rather avoid cash if mobile payments or credit card payments were available.
"For small and medium-size business owners, the perceived cost, time and tech-proficiency required for building a digital presence can feel like an insurmountable obstacle. But it doesn't have to be," said Jack Forestell, chief product officer, Visa Inc., in a release.
Mr. Forestell added that "our
research shows [small and medium businesses] are currently under utilizing these preferred digital channels. This new report offers actionable ways...to bridge the gap between consumer expectations and current offerings, resulting in untapped profit and growth in this digital revolution."
Consulting: Who's the client when a business is involved?
In this week's consulting spotlight, Jonathan Schmidt of Nazette, Marner, Nathanson & Shea LLP discusses the issue of attorney-client privilege when it comes to representing a business.
Attorney-client privilege is one of the most important protections afforded to litigants in a lawsuit. This privilege protects all communications that occur between an attorney and a client for purposes of seeking or receiving legal advice. This means that clients and their attorneys can talk without restraint or worry about how their comments might be interpreted were the other party to see them.
Attorney-client privilege only applies to communications that are solely between a client and his or her attorney. If the client brings a random friend to a meeting, or discusses a conversation that took place with an attorney with a stranger, then the privilege is eliminated because the conversation has been disclosed to a third party. Accordingly, conversations between clients and attorneys must be kept confidential and closely guarded.
When attorneys are dealing with individual clients, it's relatively easy to determine when the attorney-client privilege applies to communications and to make sure that those communications are protected. When communications begin to involve businesses, however, applying the privilege gets much more complicated.
Attorney-client privilege is difficult for businesses because usually no one individual represents the company. An attorney may need to speak with the CEO about major business decisions, the CFO about finances, and the COO about company operations. With so many different potential contacts and employees within a company, it can be difficult to determine how and when privilege should apply.
Fortunately, in 1981 the U.S. Supreme Court issued an important legal opinion on this exact issue. Known as the Upjohn case, the opinion set forth some general standards for determining when communications between a business employee and an attorney are protected for purposes of attorney-client communication.
The U.S. Small Business Administration and America's SBDC Iowa are encouraging small businesses to think big - and land government contracts, according to the Ottumwa Courier.
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Short-Term Event Planner
August 3
First Friday Coffee Connections, by Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce, 7:30-8:30 a.m., Keystone Place, 1275 W. Forevergreen Road, North Liberty. Start your day with networking on the first Friday of every month. Free. For more information, visit
bit.ly/2tB8jXU.
August 6
Coralville Roundtable, by Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce, noon-1 p.m., Iowa River Power, 501 First Ave., 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.
August 7
Three Ways to Help Employees Achieve Financial Wellness, by Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, 8-9 a.m., 501 First St. SE, Cedar Rapids. John Frisvold of BerganKDV will explore the benefits of promoting financial wellness across an organization. For more information, visit
bit.ly/2NYB5uj.
Iowa City Roundtable, by Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce, noon-1 p.m., Blackstone, 503 Westbury Drive, Ste. 1, Iowa City. 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.
Headlines from CBS2/FOX 28
These news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28
Investigators say they have concluded that a woman spotted in northwest Missouri was not a missing Iowa college student.
Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation special agent Mike Krapfl confirmed today that the reported sighting of Mollie Tibbetts wasn't substantiated and has been ruled out by investigators. Ms.
Tibbetts, a 20-year-old University of Iowa student, hasn't been seen since July 18. In related news, Laura Calderwood, Ms. Tibbetts' mother, said in a press conference Thursday that $172,000 has been raised for her daughter's safe return. "We believe Mollie is still alive," she said. Information on donating to the reward fund is at crimestoppersofcentraliowa.com.
Right now there are new warnings signs of a recession that experts say could trigger another farm crisis. Creighton Professor Ernie Goss warns any economic downtown in the next year or two would hit agriculture states like Iowa especially hard. Professor Goss says, "The current trade tensions are a clear and present danger to the overall U.S. economy, particularly for those areas in the nation that spend heavily on exports and depend heavily on trade."
Such a warning raises fears of a return to the farm crisis of the 1980s. Washington County farmer Larry Marek survived the crisis while many others didn't. Mr. Marek says another crisis would take down yet another generation of family farmers. Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley also believes difficult times will continue for farmers. "I expect farming income to be down the next two years," said Sen. Grassley. On President Trump's ongoing trade battles with China and other countries, he added, "I think as time goes on, patience would run out, I haven't seen that expressed yet." But Mr. Marek is not as optimistic, having visited China himself to improve trade relations between the two large agricultural countries. "We spend about 30 years developing the Chinese market," Mr. Marek said. "We'd just hate to see that effort destroyed by some goals that probably aren't going to be achieved." A spokeswoman for Gov. Kim Reynolds says free and fair trade is the only way forward for Iowa's ag economy because, "no one wins in a trade war."
These news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28
CBS2 Chief Meteorologist Terry Swails' Weather First Forecast
The wind will calm and skies will be mostly clear overnight allowing temperatures to dip in the mid to upper 50s - one last night of free air conditioning before summer temperatures return. A south wind will develop Friday with mostly sunny skies. Temperatures will climb into the upper 80s to near 90. Combined with increasing humidity, heat indices may approach 92-95 degrees. Heat continues into the weekend with highs near 90 again Saturday with partly cloudy skies, and low 90s anticipated Sunday. A disturbance may spark thunderstorms Sunday evening which could linger into Monday, those details will have to be ironed out.
Downtown IC boutique specializes in making the old new again 
