News : Holiday Open House to offer variety of artists, treats, deals

Organic dips made in Benton County.

Iowa wines.

Furniture you can help design yourself -- also made in our state. A plush recliner complete with a built-in swivel computer stand -- and a WEB-TV ready computer.

Virtually every major brand of refrigerator, range, washer, dryer and television.

Those are just a few of the things you can see right here in Vinton during the annual Holiday Open House on Sunday, Nov. 21. From noon to 4 p.m. Vinton stores will be offering refreshments, door prizes, samples and wine tasting, and live entertainment.

"The annual Holiday Open House is a fantastic tradition in Vinton," says Vinton Unlimited Director Nathan Hesson. "It kicks off the Christmas shopping season in our community and provides people a way to get a jump start on their Christmas shopping with deals you can’t find anywhere else. There are also a number of great activities taking place throughout the day to help you get in the Christmas mood."

Well-known Iowans will also be here that day. Author J.L. Wilson will be signing books at Nature's Corner. Vinton artist Barb Campbell will be painting her wildlife scenes on agate at Jessy's Jems.

Just take a walk downtown and stop in and speak to the retailers about what they offer, and you will soon realize that just about every major product brand is available in Vinton. And, don't forget the merchants in other areas of Vinton!

At Nelson Furniture, Bill and Jane White offer the Charles Schneider furniture line, made in western Iowa. Along with several display models, the store offers a selection of upholstery samples that allow customers to choose their own style.

Smith Brothers, Best Chair and Lane furniture items are available at Nelson Furniture, along with a variety of Serta mattresses.

With one furniture store, one appliance store, and two stores that offer both, downtown Vinton can boast that it's home to virtually every major brand.

"We've got it all," said Mike Barnes of Barnes Furniture. Mohawk, Aladdin, Horizon, Bigelow and Armstrong are the major floor covering brands available there. Appliances made by Maytag, Whirlpool and Amana, along with Bosch, Speed Queen, Frigidaire, Electrolux, GE and more are also on display and available for purchase every day. Furniture brands include Flexsteel, Douglas, Oakwood and Mobel.

Customers also have a variety of furniture and floor covering samples available so they can choose designs for their entire house.

"We are a one-stop shop," said Barnes.

The same is true at Michael & Dowd, where the name brands include Samsung, Frigidaire, L-Z Boy, Coby and Maytag, along with Shaw carpet Bruce laminate and wood flooring and King Coil bedding.

One of the unique items offered at Michael and Dowd is the L-Z Boy recliner with a built in computer stand and WEB-TV-ready computer.

A block to the west on Fourth Street, Nick's TV and Appliance offers televisions, refrigerators, stoves and more made by Hot Point, GE, Phillips and LG. Nick's is also a US Cellular cell phone and smart phone service center.

While these stores offer the big-ticket items, several other downtown retailers have spent the fall months preparing their Christmas gift items.

A variety of home décor, gifts, wall decorations, figurines and gift items are available at several locations: Jessy's Gems, Nature's Corner, La Grange and Clingman pharmacies, L Marie. Used items are available at The Consignment Co., while The Hope Chest offers a variety of antiques.

Karilea Ries and her staff at Henkle Creek and Cameron's will have more new clothing items to offer, including the latest Vinton-Shellsburg styles. Throughout the Holiday season there will be men's night shopping events (Dec. 12-13, or Dec. 19-20 if weather interferes). A "Wish List" registry is also available.

And during the Holiday Open House, there will be a variety of treats and entertainment for the shoppers as they browse among the gift selections.

A wine tasting and meat and cheese tray are planned at La Grange Pharmacy. There will also be samples of the Funky Chunky product line, which includes a variety of unique flavors.

At Jessy's Gems, artist Barb Campbell of Vinton will be there, painting some of her designs and talking about her work. Jessy's grandson, Josh Yeager, a CPU band member, will play his trumpet. The llamas are also expected to return outside of the store, along with items made from llama yarn.

Artist J.L. Wilson, another Iowa native, will return to Nature's Corner for a book signing and to speak with fans. New this year at Nature's Corner will be a line of Scandinavian Christmas items, says owner Cindy Elwick. There will also be live music at Nature's Corner.

The Simply Organic line of dips will be featured at The Hope Chest. Co-owner Mike Svoboda said the dips -- made in Norway in southern Benton County at Frontier -- will be paired with the wines in the wine tasting.

At Clingman Pharmacy, Jeanne Mann will visit with customers from 2-3 p.m. to talk about her hand-painted items, many of which will be available there.

L marie Boutique will have wine tasting by Fireside Winery from Noon til 4pm.

"Stop in for your holiday needs including White Lights candles, McCalls reed diffusers, plug-in burners and candle bars to keep your home festive this season," says L Marie owner Lisa Holten. "We now carry four Iowa Wines -- Fireside, Tassel Ridge, Winneshiek and Tabor Home Wineries; that's 28 different wines. Also available are some really cool wine accessories, purses, jewelry, and holiday decor."