Awesome place with great things to explore! We appreciated the variety of stores and the restaurant…read morein the back. The dock was easy to walk on and hang out. Great time! We will be back.

In the 1900s, there were 5 ballrooms on West Lake Okoboji: Manhattan Beach, Roof Gardens, The Inn,…read moreThe Casino and The Central Emporium, then known as the Central Pavilion. The Central Emporium is the only one that remains a part of today's Iowa Great Lakes. It was originally built in 1901 and by the 1960s, the building sat empty until it was purchased in 1967 and used as boat storage. In 1971, the building was remodeled and began leasing out space for stores. During that first year, there were only 3-5 businesses including The Diver's Den, the Outrigger and a jewelry store. I started hanging out at the Central Emporium about that time in the early 1970s. It's gone through ownership changes since then and many shops have also come and gone. The Building itself has also been stabilized from falling into the Lake and at during my visit this summer, the old Girl looks pretty good on the inside as well. There's still the expected collection of tourist based shops, but the Central Emporium also includes a couple nice dining and drinking establishments (with great views), a branch of Hill Avenue Books, and even a few shops (e.g., Life on the Lake) that I enjoy. You can also get here by foot or by boat. I could see how a developer would think of this property as a good condo or other resort opportunity. And I do wonder how the Central Emporium makes money within the confines of a summer vacation season. But as long as this historic Iowa building still stands, I'll be there whenever I'm in town.

This place is one of a kind. Multi levels of the greatest items. At any given time you could find a…read morekitten to eclectic jewelry, cards and holiday items. I highly recommend stopping by. **not a place for young children or strollers**

Absolutely my favorite store in the Okoboji area. You can find a gift for everyone on your list…read more Reasonable priced. Something for everyone.

Cute little thrift store near Okoboji. They have a lot of great furniture pieces. The front is…read morekinda small but then a whole room opens up where there's tons of furniture. Could be a little more organized with the amount of items there. All in all a good spot for treasure hunting.

This is the most genuine jewelry store I have ever been to. The women are incredibly knowledgeable…read moreand kind. I immediately fell in love with the ring pictured. When they found a previously unnoticed crack in the stone, they immediately informed me, apologized and offered an extreme discount. Without them telling me, I never would've noticed the crack and proceeded with the sale at the original price. This proves how incredibly well-intentioned and trustworthy this store is to buy from. I highly recommend as this experience was above all expectations.

I would have given them a zero but that option isn't available. I went there to buy a wedding band…read morefor my lady. I wanted to totally surprise her. As I was looking at the rings I asked them what happens if she doesn't like it? Two different sales ppl told me the same thing. Oh, we'll take care of you. They take care of you alright but not in the way one would think. So I looked & bought a ring over three grand. My lady liked it but she wanted something more simple & less expensive. I took the ring that Saturday morning because I was going to ask her while we were camping. I brought it back the first day Nelson's was open again. She never even took it out of the box!!! When we went back to Nelson's to replace it with one she wanted, we found out what taking care of me meant. For those deceitful dishonest ppl it means once we have your money WE HAVE YOUR MONEY!!! When someone says, ah, we'll take care of you it insinuate that if you pay too much we will refund your money. They don't and they know it!! They should have told me about their no return policy instead. You can return something there however, a person only gets store credit! So I had to pick things out of the Jewelry store that equaled the amount I had spent on the wedding band. That was over $2800 worth of crap I didn't want or need! Like I said, when they have your money, IT'S OVER!! I wouldn't tell an enemy to shop there much less a friend. These ppl are greedy, they will lie straight to your face & smile the whole time they're doing it. So if you do buy something there, get the cheapest thing you can So they don't screw you over as well.

Jackie delivers! Friendly, personal service! Prices are reasonable. Flowers are fresh and delivered…read morein a timely manner. I have been ordering arrangements and balloons from Jackie's for several years and she never disappoints!

Ordered some flowers for a memorial service in Primghar. Very friendly and helpful and the delivery…read morewent without a hitch. Also, only local florist that had a website. Would order from again.

Terrible carpet job in Newell, IA! All the seams show said they would fix 3 weeks ago and haven't…read moreheard anything since!!!

We purchased recliners from Snook's and were delighted with the recliners, and the customer service!read more

This is the corner drug store that I grew up with. On the other 3 corners of Central Avenue and…read more6th Street are a restaurant that used to be a Rexall, the Estherville Library, and the old Iowa Trust and Savings (now Bank of America) where I used to sell the Des Moines Register on some Sunday Mornings. When I'm in town, I still try to stop by and say Hi to the owner of this long time family business. He seems to have done a good job of mixing and matching a very diverse stock and pharmacy-related services to compete in a sometimes slow economy and with a Walmart on about 20 minutes away. This is one of those places that are comfortable to me. You can take me out of the Midwest and give me the privledge of living in Northern California. But sometimes it's OK to not to forget where you are from.

Kandi's Flower Market rocks! Her floral arrangements are always beautiful, always delivered on…read moretime, and always impress everyone. I grew up just east of Graettinger and now live in California, so all of our business is over the phone, yet Kandi handles everything to perfection. Kandi is that rare combination of being both personable and professional, so it's always a pleasure to do business with her. I whole-heartedly recommend Kandi and her most excellent floral arrangements.