I love this quilt shop in Story City. So nice to have a local quilt shop. Since it's been opened…read moreSteph and Eileen are so friendly and helpful and feel like family. I learn a lot from them always willing to help. I've enjoyed taking classes here as all instructors are very knowledgeable and fun to learn from! I look forward to taking more classes soon and they have a lot of fabulous fabrics that I can't wait to do projects for!

What a sweet shop with knowledgeable staff and a desire to help quilters or knitters at all stages…read moreof their "journey". I stopped by on a snowy afternoon trying to match some Tula Pink fabric. While I didn't find an exact match, I was quickly shown a coordinating fabric that added the zing I didn't know I needed. While not the hugest collection of fabric in the area, what the store had will meet the needs of everyone and perhaps helps in the overwhelming feel that I have in stores with a HUGE collection. Don't miss this gem when in the Story City area.

Just cannot say enough good things about the Center Grove Orchard. If you go to their website at…read morecentergroveorchard.com you'll see that there is MUCH more than a store on site. All sorts of activities for families, including a corn maze, Jumping Pillows, Pedal Carts, Super Slides, Goat Walk, and unlimited CGO Express Train rides. (Sorry ... I copied that from their website.) But, now I wanna talk about what's offered in the store. APPLES. And more apples. Pies, jams, salsa (best I've had in the area), dressings, dips, they have it all. The website claims 11 venues around the farm to enjoy. I haven't found all of them. But, inside the store they have the best dang coffee around, and awesome pies (with ice cream of course if you're interested.) Oh yeah, take home a couple frozen chicken pot pies. THE BEST Yep, you knew this was coming. If you follow me, you know I check out the restroom at places we visit, since I feel the condition of these facilities are as important as the food. On this busy afternoon, after what I'm sure were many men and young men in and out of the men's room, I can report the restroom was tidy with just a few areas of water dripped on the floor. Good job Center Grove! So, make the journey, you'll be glad you did.

Center Grove Orchard was such a fun place to be this past fall, and in years past. There is so much…read moreto do, you really can make a full day visit. Lost of farm animals to check out, tons of kids activities, a huge pumpkin patch, an apple grove where you can pick your own apples, a train to ride, a corn maze, and a market where there are farm made jams, jellies, peanut butter, honey, baked goods and more. There were also signs up saying there will be strawberry picking in the summer, and they also have fields of flowers in the appropriate seasons. They are striving to make their farm a year-round destination.

Very gracious, very kind, very obliging personnel. They…read more created a stunning arrangement and my daughter was thrilled with it. I like how personal they are when you call them and anxious to know what it is that you would like. You don't get that everywhere. I wouldn't use anyone else from now on!

Unbelievable! This California mom was able to send amazing and beautiful flowers to my daughter for…read moreValentines Day. They were so easy to work with, and their vision was spot-on. I am beyond happy with their selection of flowers, the quality, and the service!

I've shopped at Oak Lane since they first opened and love them. I finally did a pour party with…read moresome family and friends today and it was so much fun! Highly recommend!

This place is really good! While it is more expensive than other options it is way better!!! I got…read morethe wax melt and it's so much stronger and makes my whole room smell amazing! I really recommend all of the candles and wax melts. Will have to go back and buy some more!

My absolute favorite pumpkin farm since I've been a kid. In recent years, they've done away with…read morepicking your own out in the field but they have tons of sizes and gourds to choose from inside the shed. Dick and Letha DeMoss are the sweetest people and honestly, the reason I make the drive up from DSM. Letha bakes all of the bread and makes most of the jam, you must grab at least one of each! Dick is great for cooking advice; he'll tell in great detail how to prepare anything you buy. They have other seasonal produce: tomatoes, green beans, onions, etc. Find them at Ames Farmer's Market and their veggie stand in town! Lots of good photo opportunities as well-- antiques, tractors, fields, outbuildings. The cutest!

This is one of my favorite places to buy gifts for my wife and is one of the strongest businesses…read moreon Ames' Main Street. Before there was a Wiliams Sonoma store in the state of Iowa Cooks Emporium has been selling high-quality cooking gear and offering classes in downtown Ames. While the location isn't huge you'll find the well-established brands (All-Clad, Le Creuset, Wusthof) that you trust right here. As someone who enjoys cooking, I can spend a lot of time browsing in here for kitchen gadgets. I do the majority of my business here around the holidays and they do a really nice job of wrapping gifts. They are very helpful in answering questions and guiding you toward the right purchase for your task or gift idea. As I write this review I can see many items that we've purchased from the Cooks Emporium. They are local, offer high-quality merchandise, and offer competitive prices on par with even online-retailers.

I love this store, but the employees are hit and miss…read more I am heavily tattooed (at least for Ames, Iowa) and sometimes there is a lady that is just rude and doesn't help me. I can tell it's because I'm young and tattooed by the look on the lady's face. Good thing she doesn't work on commission. If only she knew I graduated from culinary school four years ago and have been baking professionally since then, including wedding cakes. I'm not just some punk kid who can't afford your over-priced stuff. I usually buy my stuff on the internet - so much cheaper. But I love looking here and it's great for small buys (rubber scrapers) and "crap I need this right now and no one else in town is going to have it" impulse buys (mandoline). Great for seeing an item in person so you know what you want to order online.

Any seed you could possibly want -- no, seriously, they have it. SO many seeds. And their…read moregreenhouse is HUGE...I could spend hours and hours wandering around this place, just looking at all the different plants, seeds, and starts. The layout of the greenhouse is well-planned and everything is clearly marked, so you always know what section you're in and can visually locate signs for whatever section you seek. If you buy a plant and a pot, they'll pot the plant for you while you wait. (This is a bigger deal than you might think, considering that potting a plant always involves more soil than comes in the original container. If you had to do it yourself and didn't already have a bag of soil at home, you'd need to buy some.) They also have a great selection of all the "little things" you might need, like label sticks to mark what you've planted where, little ceramic worms that test soil dryness, stakes for various climbing plants, and all shapes and sizes of post. Neat selection of garden decor, too. It's a nice big airy space that's a pleasure to explore, and you're bound to find whatever garden-related you might want. Highly recommended.

Love the variety and customer service! I frequently visit!read more

Great little patch out on highway 17. I've passed it a few times over the years and said going…read morethere next year for our pumpkins. Well I finally followed thru. You can grab a wagon and wander the patch choosing your own or grab one from the piles they have brought up to the barn. The have just about every size you can think of from tiny to huge. "How are we going to carve this?" was spoken when we loaded one into the Jeep. They also have lot of other decorative gourds, multi colored corn, and a variety of squash. It's a Mom and Pop operation and I always love those way better then spending my money at the huge stores in the city.