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At home in Heart of Iowa Market Place

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At home in Heart of Iowa Market Place
By Kent Darr
 
Kelly Sharp, who spent 11 years in the marketing and retail divisions of Hubbell Realty Co., has bucked the conventional wisdom of a slow recovery and bought a retail business in West Des Moines.

Kelly Sharp, who spent 11 years in the marketing and retail divisions of Hubbell Realty Co., has bucked the conventional wisdom of a slow recovery and bought a retail business in West Des Moines.

Granted, Heart of Iowa Market Place at 211 Fifth St. in the Valley Junction neighborhood is a well-known name, but what about the timing?

“It’s a strong business with an excellent reputation,” Sharp said. “If it’s a good strong business, there’s still a market for it.”

As the name suggests, Heart of Iowa Market Place carries items made in the state. The store has been in Valley Junction for 25 years and had been owned since 2002 by Lori Ferris, an author who is going to work on her fourth book for children.

Sharp said the store had its second-best holiday sales season ever, and she got some welcome national publicity when NBC News flashed the storefront during a piece on the Iowa caucuses.

Heart of Iowa Market Place has both a storefront and an online presence, with a website at www.heartofiowamarketplace.com. Sales have been brisk at both, Sharp said.

She has plans to expand marketing efforts by reaching out to companies that provide gift baskets and other Iowa items to clients, employees and prospective employees.

“My goal is to keep the business the same,” she said, and that includes continuing to offer made-in-the-store chocolate fudge.

She gained valuable experience running Hubbell’s various retail operations, but had always wanted to set out on her own.

“About six months ago, I decided it was time to do something different,” Sharp said.

She learned that Heart of Iowa Market Place had just been listed for sale and purchased the business in November, inheriting a staff of seven that had been with the store an average of four years.

 
Granted, Heart of Iowa Market Place at 211 Fifth St. in the Valley Junction neighborhood is a well-known name, but what about the timing?
 
“It’s a strong business with an excellent reputation,” Sharp said. “If it’s a good strong business, there’s still a market for it.”

 
As the name suggests, Heart of Iowa Market Place carries items made in the state. The store has been in Valley Junction for 25 years and had been owned since 2002 by Lori Ferris, an author who is going to work on her fourth book for children.
 
Sharp said the store had its second-best holiday sales season ever, and she got some welcome national publicity when NBC News flashed the storefront during a piece on the Iowa caucuses.
 
Heart of Iowa Market Place has both a storefront and an online presence, with a website at www.heartofiowamarketplace.com. Sales have been brisk at both, Sharp said.
 
She has plans to expand marketing efforts by reaching out to companies that provide gift baskets and other Iowa items to clients, employees and prospective employees.
 
“My goal is to keep the business the same,” she said, and that includes continuing to offer made-in-the-store chocolate fudge
 
She gained valuable experience running Hubbell’s various retail operations, but had always wanted to set out on her own.