White Lion's current location in the Czech Village
White Lion Treasures will move its vintage collectible and handcrafted retail business to a new location near McGrath Amphitheatre this fall after nearly six years in Cedar Rapids' Czech Village.
Michelle Bell, owner of the business now located at 87 16th Ave. SW, said the move comes as she takes over ownership of a building about a mile away at 226 Fifth Ave. SW. The former Westside Hair Design was owned and operated by Ms. Bell's mother Nancy Churchill for more than two decades.
In addition to the street level retail space, Ms. Bell plans to renovate the upstairs Fifth Avenue apartment into an Airbnb once the current tenant's lease is up.
"I feel like the location across from the beautiful McGrath Amphitheatre is a prime location for a business like ours and a new Airbnb." Ms. Bell said. "I am excited to carry on the legacy my mom has built in this location over the past two decades. Her long-time customers have become like family to us and I am hoping they will stop by and see us."
The unique consignment store features vintage items, collectibles, recycled furniture and other crafts, handmade items, and home decor created and sold by a variety of vendors. The store will be hosting a moving sale through Sept. 19 in preparation for the move. The new location is expected to open in October with a grand opening and ribbon cutting in spring 2020.
"Our top vendors will be relocating with us, but you can expect more of the same high quality finds in addition to new items and refreshed displays," said Ms. Bell, a longtime Cedar Rapidian with genealogy dating back to her great-grandfather, who was on the planning committee that built the Cedar Rapids government's offices on Mays Island.
Ms. Bell is president of the Friends of Czech Village, a nonprofit with the goal of rebuilding and restoring the Riverside Roundhouse, and plans to continue her involvement with the district.
Get Fresh to open downtown IC smoothie and juice bar Friday
Get Fresh will open its second brick and mortar location in downtown Iowa City Friday. The business has operated a booth at NewBo City Market since 2012.
Get Fresh, a staple at the Iowa City Farmer's Market and NewBo City Market in Cedar Rapids, will open a brick and mortar location Friday at 109 Iowa Ave. in downtown Iowa City.
The organic smoothie and juice bar, founded by Wendy Zimmerman, prides itself on using the freshest preservative-free fruits and vegetables available. Its moniker, "Get Fresh," was inspired by NewBo City Market's tagline of "Fresh! Fun!" and Ms. Zimmerman has operated a booth at the market since 2012. Get Fresh began selling its products at New Pioneer Food Co-Op earlier this year as well.
The cafe's customizable smoothie menu features favorites like the Green Smoothie, which includes juice blended with raw spinach, kale leaves and pineapple, and the PB&J variety made with strawberries, blueberries, red and black raspberry, organic oats, and local milk and yogurt. Cold-pressed juice varieties include We Got the Beet, a blend of beet, carrot, apple, sweet potato and ginger, and Oh KALE Yeah - a mix of kale, spinach, pineapple, pear, zucchini and mint.
"We are so excited to be opening a second location," Ms. Zimmerman said in a Facebook post announcing the new store. "Yep, Iowa City here we come! My favorite part is all the windows we have."
In the CBJ: Corridor's coolest small company puts creativity first
Fusionfarm team. PHOTO FUSIONFARM
A culture that fosters creative freedom, mutual respect, collaboration and learning lifted the creative agency Fusionfarm to the title of Coolest Small Company for 2019.
"That's the culture we've cultivated, one where everybody is inspiring each other to be the best," said Director Kelly Homewood, fresh from a trip to the Ad Age Small Agency Conference in New Orleans, where Fusionfarm was invited to pitch to Procter & Gamble.
Fusionfarm is a team of about 15 creative professionals who've been piling up a growing number of honors for their work.
Creative Director Michael Zydzik says the essence of the company's coolness isn't that it has a foosball table (it does), a chihuahua named Wally running around (it does) or that the group often goes out to see movies together (they do).
"We're really not in competition with other agencies, but we are all individuals in competition with ourselves," he said. "We come to work every day, wanting to do the best damned work in our industry."
That can often mean challenging each other's ideas, sharing video or music content that could inspire the next great ad, and - not every day - telling clients when to deep-six an idea they're in love with.
Kacie Long, a "Fusionite" who's been with the company for about a year, says the place has a family feel to it.
"I'm allowed to be who I am," says Ms. Long, who often brings Wally the chihuahua to work with her. "I don't have to filter."
Fusionfarm is part of Folience, an ESOP family of companies. The employee stock ownership gives employees a clear picture of their company's financial performance, and helps them understand how they can improve it. They are rewarded for strong performance with a higher ESOP valuation, which can mean a better retirement, or a nice nest egg to take with them if they ever move to another company.
Read the full members-only story in this week's print or digital editions of the CBJ.
Petersen Pet Hospital in Hiawatha has earned a Merit Award in the 2019 Hospital Design Competition of dvm360, a magazine showcasing best practices in the field of veterinary medicine.
Petersen Pet Hospital moved into the new 9,500-square-foot facility at 1031 Kacena Road in July 2018. It features seven exam rooms, and added a new dental procedure suite, ICU unit and boarding kennel to the hospital's offerings.
The competition judges praised the practice for the variety of seating options in the reception area, natural colors and lighting throughout, features to lower patient stress and clear traffic flow.
Reducing the anxiety of pets through
"fear-free" design was an important factor, according to Petersen Pet Hospital owner Brad Petersen, who worked with with Solum-Lang Architects to design the hospital. The calm environment includes a large grassy area where dogs can be walked before entering the building. Two outdoor benches provide seating for "rowdy" dogs who are better off waiting outside, and indoor seating options inside include higher surfaces where cat crates can be placed out of the reach of curious canines.
"This is my dream hospital, to have something with a homey, lodge-like feel to it," Mr. Petersen told the CBJ. After two previous locations and more than two decades as a veterinarian, "This was it for me, I wanted to do it as right as possible."
Some of his favorite design features are the large windows throughout the hospital that provide plenty of daylight and connections to nature, the air management system that eliminates chemical and pet odors, and the lodge-like lobby with a 130-gallon fish tank to entertain cats.
The facility was built by Graham Construction.
Consulting: Is your business ready for local voice search?
In this week's consulting spotlight, Sherry Bonelli of early bird digital marketing explains why it's vital to get Siri and Alexa talking about your business.
Do you find yourself talking to Siri more and more? How about asking Alexa a question? If so, you're not alone. Voice search is becoming increasingly popular. In fact, 50 percent of all searches could be voice activated by 2020.
But these searches aren't always questions like, "How old is Harrison Ford?" or "What will the weather be like today?" More and more people are looking for local business information with voice searches.
According to BrightLocal, 58 percent of consumers have used voice search to find local business information in the last 12 months. And with 46 percent of voice search users looking for a local business daily, these forward-thinking consumers are actively looking for local businesses like yours.
Are you ready?
Where the info comes from
The various search devices like iPhone, Amazon Echo/Alexa, Microsoft Cortana, etc. all get their data and information from a variety of sources - and those sources can change at any time.
For instance, Amazon Alexa gets most of its local business data from Yelp, Google Home gets data from Google Maps and Cortana pulls its local information from Bing. Our friend Siri pulls mostly from Apple Maps and Yelp whereas Bixby gets local business data from Google Maps.
As a business, this means that your online directory listings/citations, like Google My Business, Yelp, Bing Places for Business, Apple Maps and others need to be in order. Your business name, address and phone number need to be correct and consistent across as many of these citation sites as possible.
Yelp is integrated into more than half the mobile voice assistant market, so make sure your Yelp listing is claimed, filled out completely and includes pictures. Having your information correct, up-to-date and optimized in these all-important directories is crucial to your local voice search optimization strategy.
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Corridor Stocks
Short-Term Event Planner
Sept. 9
Coralville Roundtable, by Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce, noon-1 p.m., Backpocket Brewing, 903 Quarry Road, Coralville. Members are invited to network and keep up to date with chamber and community events. Free. For more information, call (319) 337-9637.
Marion Youth Center Ribbon Cutting, by Marion Chamber of Commerce, 4:30-6:30 p.m., Youth Center, 440 S. 14th St. The Marion Youth Center, a Boys and Girls Club, will celebrate its grand opening with an open house and family night. Free. For more information, visit
bit.ly/2YJ3jCQ.
PWN Networking Night Out, by Professional Women's Network, 5-7 p.m., WineStyles Edgewood, 4201 42nd St. NE, Ste. 170, Cedar Rapids. Members can join this casual networking night out. Free. To register, email
[email protected].
Sept. 10
Opioids in the Workplace, by Eastern Iowa Human Resource Association, 7:30-9:30 a.m., The Hotel at Kirkwood Center, 7725 Kirkwood Blvd. SW, Cedar Rapids. Increase your awareness of current opioid-related trends and gain a better understanding of recommended workplace interventions. Cost: Members, free; non-members, $15. For tickets, visit
bit.ly/30Fp4jQ.
TechBrew AM, by Technology Association of Iowa and Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, 8-9 a.m., Economic Alliance, 501 First St. SE. TAI President Brian Waller conducts casual interviews with CIOs, who discuss their career path and share what's most important for Iowa's tech community. Free. To register, visit
bit.ly/2YLvDE4.
Marketing Forum, by Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m., Economic Alliance, 501 First St. SE, Cedar Rapids. Driven by group discussion, participants will learn from others and grow their professional network. This month's topic is design. Free. For more information, visit
bit.ly/2YciJPP.
Small Business Lunch Roundtable, by SCORE of East Central Iowa, noon-1 p.m., Granite City Food & Brewery, 4755 First Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids. An informational, small group networking opportunity for those in business or those thinking about starting a business. Free. To register, visit
conta.cc/2KLe4e6.
Job & Career Fair, by City of Iowa City and IowaWORKS, 3-6 p.m., Robert A. Lee Recreation Center, 220 S. Gilbert St., Iowa City. Free to job seekers. For a complete list of employers, visit
bit.ly/343alBG.
Heartland Companies Ribbon Cutting, by Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce, 4 p.m., Heartland Companies, 305 Highway 1 SW, Ste. 24, Iowa City. Free. For more information, visit
bit.ly/33vGp0H.
Business Start-Up Basics Seminars, SCORE of East Central Iowa, 6-8 p.m., Kirkwood Linn County Regional Center, 1770 Boyson Road, Hiawatha. This three-session series will cover entrepreneurship (including myths and realities), an overview of marketing planning, the legal structure of your business and startup funding. Other sessions on Sept. 17 and 24. Cost: $59. To register, visit
bit.ly/33GUf0m.
Headlines from CBS2/FOX 28
These news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28
A new director for the Iowa Department of Human Services has been named, according to the Office of Gov. Kim Reynolds. Gov.
Reynolds said she will appoint Kelly Kennedy Garcia, who is currently working as the deputy executive commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Ms. Garcia plans to move to Iowa from Austin, Texas, to start her new role on Nov. 1. "Kelly Garcia is an experienced social service leader and team builder with a passion for helping people and leading change," said Gov. Reynolds. "For so many Iowans, DHS provides the critical services, protection and support they need to live and thrive. Kelly brings a depth of experience in a large-scale, high-impact government agency and will serve Iowa's families and communities well in this vital role." She will take over after former director Jerry Foxhoven was asked to resign in June. Mr. Foxhoven is suing the state claiming wrongful termination, saying Gov. Reynolds, her chief of staff and legal counsel should not have asked him to resign.
Pat Green is performing Saturday during the halftime of Iowa's game against Rutgers.
University of Iowa Athletics officials have confirmed to CBS2/Fox 28 News the country artist from Texas will perform his song "Wave On Wave" with the Hawkeye Marching Band, just like he did for the 2018 UNI game. Mr. Green's song "Wave On Wave" is played during the Iowa Wave at the end of every first quarter during a Hawkeye football game. Everyone inside Kinnick Stadium turns and waves to the pediatric patients watching from University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital. Iowa and Rutgers kick off Big Ten play Saturday at 11 a.m.
These news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28
CBS2 Weather First Forecast
Drier, cooler air has settled in and will lead to a pleasant rest of the week.
A weak cold front will move through the area today. Ahead of it temperatures will be in the mid- to upper 70s with a few passing clouds. A brief sprinkle can't be ruled out. It will be nice and sunny Friday with temperatures in the mid- to upper 70s. The comfortable weather continues into the weekend. Temperatures will be in the 70s Saturday and 60s Sunday. Our next storms system arrives Sunday and will bring clouds, showers and a few thunderstorms.
Vintage collectible and craft store moving, expanding into Airbnb
