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Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from the tri-state area. In addition to this update from Dyersville, Iowa, we will share other developments in Tuesday’s edition.
A mother and daughter have opened a discount store in Dyersville.
Surprise Den opened March 12 at 635 16th St. SE, next to Mexican restaurant Rio Blanco in the previous location of Natural Grains. Shelly Hess and her daughter, Mikaylah Veglahn, own the store.
“It’s been a really exciting time,” Veglahn said. “My mom inspired me with her passion for entrepreneurship and helped me open the store. This is our first venture.”
Veglahn said they purchase items stores do not want anymore and put out new items every day. She added that they make sure products are high-quality, but they offer full refunds if a customer is not satisfied.
The store sells a wide variety of items, including electronics, kitchenware, baby items, furniture, toys and pet items.
“That’s why we call it the Surprise Den,” Veglahn said. “You never know what you’re going to find. There’s a surprise for everyone here.”
The store also offers complimentary hot drinks and has a kids section with toys and treats where children can play while their parents shop.
Surprise Den focuses on giving back to the community, as well. Veglahn said there is a little food pantry set up in the corner of the store for people to drop off and pick up items, and each Monday the store will donate 5% of all profits to a different organization.
“My mom loves talking to people,” Veglahn said. “She always wanted to have a business her whole life, and now that I’m older, I said, ‘Well, why can’t we do it?’ We fell in love with the concept of a retail store and toured different places in Iowa to pick and choose what we liked from their business, and we wanted to focus on specials and giving back.”
Surprise Den is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, 1 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, 1 to 6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. The store also can be found on Facebook.