Business

NORTH LIBERTY– A quiet, floral oasis lies undiscovered in the heart of North Liberty but flower enthusiast Jennifer Hobbs hopes to change that.
Disturbed only by the occasional hum of a lawnmower or barking dog, Five Petal Farm is in its first official year selling fresh cut flowers, dried bouquets and more– all grown on less than an acre of urban dirt.
“There’s so much you can do with your yard instead of going out and mowing grass,” said Hobbs, who has very little lawn of her own to cut.

NORTH LIBERTY– A quiet, floral oasis lies undiscovered in the heart of North Liberty but flower enthusiast Jennifer Hobbs hopes to change that.
Disturbed only by the occasional hum of a lawnmower or barking dog, Five Petal Farm is in its first official year selling fresh cut flowers, dried bouquets and more– all grown on less than an acre of urban dirt.
“There’s so much you can do with your yard instead of going out and mowing grass,” said Hobbs, who has very little lawn of her own to cut.

SOLON– Randy Walter is happy to be back open.
The co-owner of the RJ’Z Express convenience store waited five months to reopen his new building, and now it’s here.
Walter and his partners John Himmelsbach and Tom Zumsande made the decision to tear down the existing building in order to expand its retail and food opportunities.
“Being locally owned, we wanted to serve the Solon community better,” Walter said.
The business closed at the end of November and the walls came down in December.

SWISHER– Many people find a business they love and become a regular. Shawn Irons goes one step beyond: she buys the business.
That’s how she happened upon her newest business, Maddi B’s Take N’ Bake Pizza Co., a quaint little pizzeria and ice cream shop in Swisher. Eat-in booths were just added, along with a chalkboard wall for kids to draw on, making it a fun place for families to kick back and relax.
Since Irons and her family live within a mile of Maddi B’s, she said they frequently drove past the pizzeria. Every time Irons thought, “I just love this little place.”

NORTH LIBERTY– Aubrey Holsinger has a vision of beauty.
She also has short-term and long-term goals, an optimistic attitude and a lot of energy– all traits she has put to use in re-imagining Flip Salon and Spa in North Liberty.
Located in Beaver Kreek since 2002, Flip Salon has been treating customers to hair makeovers, massages and manicures for quite some time. Holsinger bought the business almost one year ago, just seven weeks before she was due to give birth to her first child.