.bodytext {float: left; } .floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right: 10px; width:300px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 10px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} The idea arose while Jeremy Stephens was fighting in Anaheim, Calif., on Sept. 22, and came to fruition two months later with the opening of PJ’s Combat Hut in Valley West Mall on Nov. 24.

Stephens, an Ultimate Fighting Championship competitor, and Paul Bird, another mixed-martial arts fighter, decided to start a store that would sell the clothing, combat gear, books, DVDs and other items that fighters and fans could find only online. Their store, located on the lower level of the mall near the food court, is the first of its kind in Greater Des Moines and is one of the largest in the nation, the owners say.

“Timing is everything, and maybe a year ago this would not be as popular,” Stephens said. Bird added, “It’s one of the fastest-growing sports right now.”

Mixed martial arts is a combat sport involving a variety of fighting techniques, including jujitsu, boxing, wrestling, judo and kickboxing. The UFC is the highest level a MMA fighter can achieve, but Des Moines now offers several other competitions, including amateur fight nights at Vieux Carre, a nightclub in West Des Moines, and the Midwest Cage Championship coming up Jan. 26 at 95KGGO Arena, where Bird is preparing to fight.

A combat-gear store joins another untraditional vendor at Valley West Mall; Color Works Tattoo & Piercing, located on the lower level near Younkers, opened late last year.

“We’re always a little hesitant with something that’s not mainstream, so to speak,” said mall manager Paul Stender, “but we’re always willing to listen to people’s ideas, something that’s different and might appeal to a niche market.”

Color Works owner Taylor Made, who bought the store from Outlaw Inc. owner Scott Irwin in June, said the tattoo parlor has taken off after a slow winter. But after several people complained, he had to install walls behind the storefront glass to block the view of the tattoo artists at work.

Since then, sales have “stayed pretty steady,” Made said. He has opened another tattoo parlor in Southern Hills Mall in Sioux City, adding to a growing number of tattoo artists looking at malls as an option. “Originally when we opened, we were the second shop in North America that was in a major mall,” Made said. “Since then, I know there’s one in Dallas, Phoenix and Florida.”

At the same time, Made, who used to be a financial adviser for nine of Wells Fargo Bank’s branches, said it takes a certain type of tattoo artist with experience in customer service to work in a mall. It also attracts a different kind of customer.

“They tried to soften that whole image,” Stender said. “I think it’s been relatively successful. They’re trying to appeal to a little bit more upscale clientele not looking to go to a traditional tattoo parlor.” As an example, Made said he recently booked a tattoo appointment for a mother and daughter. “I guarantee certain people who come here wouldn’t set foot in a regular tattoo shop,” he said.

Stephens and Bird are also taking a family-friendly approach with PJ’s Combat Hut. They agreed not to show bloody fights on the store’s television screens, per management’s concerns, and plan on having some apparel for children.

So far, their inventory selection is limited. They rushed to get their store open for the holiday shopping season, but they expect to fill the 2,000-square-foot space in the next couple of weeks.

Stephens, 21, who is paid through his UFC fighting, and Bird, 24, who also runs a party bus and limousine service, GetOnDaBus.com, said they had enough capital to get the business off the ground and are using it more as a supplemental income while they wait to see how people respond to the concept. “We’re obviously not going to become millionaires,” Bird said. “For me, it’s a good supplemental income and a good way for me to get my name out as well.”

Stephens sees it as a way to give back to his fans, providing an opportunity for them to meet him after a fight and bringing them the latest combat gear fashions and MMA celebrities. He also is selling his own line of T-shirts.

The owners also hope PJ’s will become a center for MMA fans and fighters who visit Des Moines for fights. “The idea was to find something that would bring everyone together, and it was this store,” Stephens said. “People come here to look around, fighters and fans.”

Stephens has been fighting since age 16, getting into the sport after watching it on television with his grandfather, who passed away just before his first professional fight. He has been training full time since age 18, working out two to three times a day for six to eight hours. Bird trains with him, having boxed since he was 19 years old and now aspiring to reach the UFC level.

The owners hope to give most of the store management over to their three employees and continue to devote most of their time to training, especially with Stephens’ UFC match on Jan. 23 and Bird’s fight on Jan. 26.

They say most MMA fighters have chosen to open gyms rather than go this route, and they never imagined they would be here.

“I never thought I would be in business at all,” Stephens said. “I was a crazy, wild kid. But then being a fighter and experiencing so much made me mature at a young age.”