MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa — Earlier this month, the Marshalltown Mall lost power. The city fire marshal informed mall businesses they had leave for "safety" concerns due to fire alarms not being able to function.
With many business owners scrambling to figure out what to do next, Oliver Beene Designs owner Rhonda Braudis and her team came up with a plan quickly.
Oliver Beene Designs had been in the Marshalltown Mall for about nine months, and had moved from another mall beforehand.
The small boutique sells clothes, holiday gifts, snacks, jewelry and more.
After they learned they'd have to move again, Oliver Beene Designs instantly began searching for new buildings, and came across a vacant one on Main Street.
They fell in love with the location and decided this would be their final destination.
"This is not happening again," Braudis laughed. "We are not moving again."
It took Oliver Beene Designs about two weeks to move out of the mall, and then another two weeks to move into 214 E. Main St.
And on Saturday, it was time for the grand reopening.
“The people that are here today, they’re gonna be back tomorrow, and they’re going to be back next week and the week after that," Braudis said. "Because we have a lot of support in this community.”
Dozens of members from the Marshalltown community showed up right at 10 a.m. for the reopening, and wanted to see firsthand all the work Oliver Beene Designs put into their new location.
“I know everyone says that their city is the best, but I am just here to tell you from personal experience, [Marshalltown] is the best," Braudis said.
Local 5 reached out to the Marshalltown Mall about the closure, but the mall has not yet responded.
