This place is AWESOME!!! The style is a great mix of everything from modern to mid century to farm…read morehouse. The store is easy to shop and beautifully kept. Owned by a local mother/daughter duo this is a MUST SHOP BOUTIQUE!!!!!! Whether you're looking for a unique birthday present, or for something great to add to your own home you must come here.

From the owner: A Few Local Vendors. read more

Surroundings changed our lives--for the better! Took a builders-grade ho-hum house and ramped it up…read moreto a custom-designed lovely home. Decorator Lori Waters is truly wonderful, a talented blend of good taste coupled with the experienced pragmatism to make your design dreams come true. Over about ten years in several phases, we have completely made over the place upstairs and down, inside and out. Stayed within the budget, gently nudged us into trying new ideas when we were stuck firmly in the mud of 1985, and just generally gave us a new way of using the spaces that perfectly suited our wallet, our taste, and our lifestyle. Could NOT be more proud of the finished product, although as Lori reminds me, "We still need to address that old yellow bathroom..." We will, Lori, as we start the next phase of this immensely gratifying partnership! Surroundings is the place to go when you decide you're ready to turn your house into the delightful home you've always wanted.

From the owner: We’re a full-service interior design firm located in the heart of Iowa City, at 331 Kirkwood…read moreAvenue. Our qualified and experienced designers assist clients from concept to completion — turning your ideas and dreams into surroundings you love to live in. Our Design Center is filled with inspiring samples, displays, and merchandise to help bring your vision to life. Whether you’re updating a single room, selecting finishes for a remodel, or starting fresh with a new build, our team is here to guide you every step of the way. We are open 5 days a week, 8-5 Monday- Friday. Design assistance is by appointment only. Our showroom is open on Tuesdays from 10-4. We hope to see you soon!

I came there from out of town to visit my niece and did a little shopping. Stopped into hobby lobby…read moreand was greeted by a man named Dylan. He offered to help us find what we needed which we politely declined And after about 5 minutes he returned again asking the same question. I told him we were fine. He was starting to make us uncomfortable so I asked him to let us shop in peace, he left only to return again being a creep and asked for my 15 year old niece's phone number. I told him that was inappropriate and unprofessional and asked for a manager he replied saying there wasn't one on duty. I finally had enough and decided to leave right then. I will NOT be back and advise all young women to be aware of creepy Dylan and his disgusting behavior.

60% off Christmas/Holiday items. Huge selection. Very clean store, friendly customer service…read more I still don't pay full price for anything at Hobby Lobby. Just too pricey if it's not on sale. Recommend.

Love that the employees were wearing they're mask. Oh my, the parking lot was an accident waiting…read moreto happen. No parking lines or ones you could barely see. They had them in every direction so people parked in the middle of the lot. The employees just stood behind the counter and never moved 2 other went on the floor to hang stuff up. No one said: can I help you, do you want me to see if we have this in a different size, what were you looking for today etc. I did ask a question but it was answered as she walked by and she kept walking. I ask the one behind the counter if she could help me with something on a rack close by and she acted like she didn't hear me. When I paid I was never asked: did you find everything you needed. She talked to the other employee as she rang me up then turned and said thank you. I'll never go again.

Adorable boutique with so much variety! Found some great last minute birthday gifts. I'll be back…read moreto shop for myself very soon! Must see shop!

Everything in here is so random, but crap. We bought a "new" grill and it came broken. They…read morewouldn't give us a refund or anything. Everything there comes wrong in some way. The store is also just dirty and the workers are not helpful and just give you nasty Looks all the time. This is just a store full a broken leftovers. Do not recommend.

I usually love this store, and the the cashiers are always nice, except today. From the very…read moreinstant I had an encounter with him, he was not helpful,

Non profit 100% free trade…read moreThey bring in products from over 30 countries Street parking and walk into peddlers area Great unique gifts Ornaments, jewelry, home decor, scarves stuffed animals Moderate price

Maker to market. Shop gifts intentionally--…read morehandmade, ethical. During these unprecedented times, I find myself thinking more and more about how I spend my family's hard earned dollar. Ten Thousand Villages is a fabulous retail spot to support. While the store has over a hundred locations in North America-- they do fair trade right. Every handmade purchase directly impacts the life and community of its maker in a developing country. I hopped on their site one day during quarantine to shop with my mom in mind. The site is so, SO easy to navigate. There's a Gift Finder tab that I found extremely helpful. I opted for the Recycled Sari Flowers. No two flowers are entirely alike due to them recycling fabric. They were made in Bangladesh. (My mom does NOT have a green thumb. I feel like fabric flowers will be welcomed.) On the site, you get to see a blurb about the maker of each item. It makes you feel good to see who you're supporting with your purchase. Shop Ten Thousand Villages for any gift giving you may have. Whether it is during social distancing on their site, or at their store in the ped-mall. It is a literal treasure trove.

After hearing about a 20% off Alessi sale at Design Ranch, I decided to check it out. The shop…read morereally is off the main drag so it requires a special trip. The shop is small but filled with all sorts of fun furniture and household items. The staff was extremely friendly and welcoming and offered to help out with anything I needed. One of the staff informed me that any Alessi item could be ordered through the shop and purchased at the sale discount. Not a bad deal! If only I had more money to spend!

Unique gift store. Lots of high-end items. Excellent service.read more

Luxe Interiors has been on my radar since it moved to the Northside. I am one of those…read more'I-watch-HGTV-so-I'm-basically-a-professional' types. Logically, I wanted to confer with like minds. I stopped in one downtown district shop crawl and was instantly greeted by the shop owner, Jan. What a wonderful lady! I loved the shop. A couple Iowa-centric items, lots of beautiful decor, paintings, furniture-- all carefully curated. I begrudgingly left that night empty handed. (A lot of the items on my radar were not surprisingly pricey. I unfortunately tend to have expensive taste. And this shop definitely has some higher end items.) Then, last week, I realized they sell items ONLINE with free contactless local delivery. *Happy Dance* I'm not sure if you've perused the Northside? But currently an entire street is closed to outside dining which is amazing, but does the parking situation no favors. ANYWAYS. The online shop was filled with candles, tea towels, furniture, pillows, vases, rugs, artwork... the whole gambit. I found an amazing photo of the pedestrian mall in the rain. I couldn't resist. My treasure was well priced. Jan emailed me personally that night to set up next day delivery. I found my package neatly put between my doors, packed with care. The cherry on top was a handwritten note from the shop owner. The picture is perfection. I haven't used Luxe for interior design purposes. (And due to my frequent HGTV watching and inherent designing expertise, let's face it. I probably won't anytime soon. ;)) But Jan is fabulous, the shop has tons of flair. A great addition to downtown! Stop by virtually or IRL.

Fraud is a word I would use to describe how this business is run. We engaged with the owner in…read moreApril, placed an order on July 6th for $17,000. We left a $10,000 deposit. In August, we received another email with an invoice for $2,100 as she had received items in her warehouse which we paid. The owner failed to keep us posted on timelines and deliveries which we were supposed to have in September (after paying for items in August). Our delivery was scheduled for October 22 when I got a call that the truck had been in an accident and all of our pieces were damaged and she would have to reorder. She did not offer a refund. Months later, she delivers $6,000 worth of the items. That was the end of it. I finally called and demanded a refund which they processed (has not reached my card yet). I come to find out that 1) No one at Luxe Interiors ever heard anything about an accident and 2) the order for one sofa was never placed and the other order was placed then cancelled back in December. STAY FAR AWAY FROM THESE LYING CRIMINALS!