Main Street Iowa has named five finalists for its annual Open 4 Business pitch contest, set for October 5 at Off The Rails Catering & Events in Osceola. The finalists will present their business expansion and development plans to a panel of judges, competing for funding to help bring their projects to life. Up to $25,000 is available for the top project, with additional awards for the other finalists.
Open 4 Business supports existing small businesses and strengthens designated Main Street Iowa districts across the state. Finalists submitted applications and video pitches outlining how they would use the funding to grow their businesses, with projects evaluated for innovation, community impact and potential for growth, increased revenue and long-term sustainability.
Clarence: Demeter’s Market
After five years in Chicago’s restaurant industry, Torrey Wilhau returned to his hometown of Clarence and opened Demeter’s Market in 2021. Its bakery menu rotates daily, featuring six or more cheesecake flavors, fresh sourdough loaves, caramel pecan rolls, cookies, hand pies and other naturally leavened pastries. Demeter’s also offers more than 100 items for catering and uses flour from a regional organic mill that has been nationally recognized for its quality. The business is connected to Highpoint Event Center, a community gathering space along the historic Lincoln Highway.
The bakery currently uses the kitchen at Torrey’s mother’s Mill Creek Cafe, two doors down, because it lacks its own commercial oven and sufficient refrigeration. That limits production and has forced Torrey to turn down larger catering orders and potential retail accounts.
An Open 4 Business grant would allow Torrey to purchase a commercial convection oven, refrigeration, merchandising equipment and pastry cases to increase production and expand catering. The added capacity would allow Demeter’s to pursue opportunities with local restaurants and grocery stores and eventually expand its reach through a food truck.
Elkader: Styled Abode
Styled Abode is a home goods and gift boutique founded by Rebecca Dempster in downtown Elkader. After years of blogging and hosting shopping weekends on her farm, Rebecca opened Styled Abode’s downtown storefront in July 2021.
Today, the boutique offers carefully sourced decor, books, home and personal fragrance, art, office supplies and bath products, with an emphasis on quality, craftsmanship and products that are “good for all.” After twice visiting Haiti, Rebecca developed a commitment to sourcing from women-owned, American-made, handmade, small-batch, fair trade and sustainable brands. The business also serves customers through its online store.
An Open 4 Business grant would help Rebecca move into a larger vacant downtown storefront and expand into women’s clothing and accessories. Grant funds would support new display fixtures, shelving, clothing racks, lighting, mannequins and inventory. The expansion will create a more comfortable shopping experience and help fill a gap in Elkader’s retail offerings following the recent closure of two local boutiques.
Fort Dodge: Bloomers On Central
Bloomers On Central was Fort Dodge’s first coffee shop when it opened in 1993. Rebecca Reitmeier started working there in 1996 and became its third owner in 2020. Today, Bloomers serves specialty coffee drinks, fresh-baked pastries, breakfast and lunch in a home-like setting with free Wi-Fi and a dedicated children’s area. Its menu includes vegetarian, gluten-free and healthy options, along with house-made alternative milks and syrups. Bloomers also uses locally roasted coffee beans and local microgreens.
In January 2024, a burst pipe flooded Bloomers’ longtime location, forcing the business to close. Rather than leave downtown, Rebecca invested in renovating a vacant, 100-year-old space in the Main Street district and reopened in November 2025. Looking ahead, she hopes to expand into adjoining spaces and evolve Bloomers into a larger, multipurpose community gathering place.
If awarded an Open 4 Business grant, Rebecca plans to add exterior signage, improve outdoor seating, upgrade the drive-thru, online ordering and point-of-sale systems, and add technology and kitchen equipment. A larger panini press or commercial high-speed oven would eliminate food-preparation bottlenecks, while an in-store TV displaying the menu would improve ordering efficiency. Funding would also support live music programming, including licensing and audiovisual equipment, as well as accounting and security upgrades.
Marion: The Purple Wagon
The Purple Wagon is a children’s boutique founded by Karlee Peters and her mother Danielle Frein. What began in 2016 as a farmers market business selling handmade baby clothing grew into an online business before opening its first brick-and-mortar location in 2020. Today, the boutique offers products for moms and expectant mothers, along with clothing, toys, books, gifts and everyday essentials for babies, toddlers and young children, including locally made apparel created by Danielle and other women in the community.
As families who first shopped with The Purple Wagon at farmers markets have watched their children grow, demand has expanded beyond its original focus on babies and toddlers. After outgrowing its previous locations, The Purple Wagon moved in August into a long-vacant historic storefront in Uptown Marion, more than tripling its space and expanding its selection for older children, particularly boys’ clothing, toys and educational activities. The new space also includes The Jack, a LEGO®-focused retailer that leases a portion of the storefront.
The larger location also provides room for family-focused events and continued growth of the business. With an Open 4 Business grant, Karlee and Danielle plan to expand inventory, add display fixtures, upgrade their point-of-sale and shipping setup, and increase digital advertising.
Newton: Fuego Hot Glass
Fuego Hot Glass in Newton is a glass art studio owned by Jonathan Petkosek and Mary Tiso. A second-generation glass worker, Jonathan began working with glass at age 7 and has more than 30 years of experience. Mary began as his student and has worked alongside him for more than 15 years. Together, they offer hands-on glassblowing classes, demonstrations, custom artwork and handcrafted pieces, including memorial and wedding commissions.
An Open 4 Business grant would support the purchase of a secondary annealer and specialized tools and materials to expand Fuego’s classes. The existing annealer — which slowly cools finished glass pieces to prevent breakage — has a cooling cycle of about 15 hours, limiting production capacity. A second, smaller unit would allow additional finished pieces to cool while production continues, and would be more energy efficient to use for smaller projects and class days.
New equipment will support classes in lampworking, glass fusing, casting and mosaic art, expanding programming beyond one-on-one instruction to workshops serving multiple students. The new offerings will also make glass art accessible to a wider range of ages, abilities and experience levels.