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Joan Willer has spent the past 14 years of her life buying giftware for Josephs Jewelers, but when the chance arose to open her own fine-gift store, Willer couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

“I decided that it was time to utilize my talents and further broaden my horizons,” she said. “My dream was always to have my own shop, and I feel like I am living my dream right now. I wanted to be my own shop owner, my own boss, and I’m living it, so I’m happy; it’s meant to be.”

Willer opened the new store, Best Wishes, which carries luxury gifts, jewelry and home décor, on Oct. 25 and said that more than 150 customers stopped in that day; some of her longtime clients even sent her flowers, she said.

“We opened in late October, and it’s just been kind of gangbusters since then,” Willer said. “All the customers asked me to build a store on this side of town, and I sort of feel like it’s ‘build it and they will come,’ and that has happened.”

Another long-time Josephs employee, Lynn McBrian, whose specialty is jewelry, joined Willer in the new business venture. Both left Josephs and went straight to Best Wishes.

“I started planning just after February,” Willer said. “I started thinking about it and working on a business plan and getting it all in order. Then I went to market in July and bought things, and things are still arriving.”

The store occupies a two-story space in the Shops at Roosevelt that encompasses approximately 2,800 square feet. However, Willer said the store is only utilizing the main level of the space, with plans to expand into the lower level in the future. Willer said the lower level will eventually showcase larger home décor pieces such as furniture.

“I did a lot of research before I opened the store just to see what Des Moines had and what it was lacking, and it was definitely lacking high-quality, luxury gifts, jewelry and home décor,” Willer said.

Willer said she wanted to create a unique store stocking eclectic and high-end gifts, and with bright green, yellow and orange walls, she brought into being the unique vision she was looking for.

“We really wanted to create a happy, joyous environment for people to come in and shop,” Willer said. “This really feels likes home to me.”