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Really appreciate this nice article, and a HUGE THANKS to all of our amazing customers for a FABULOUS 2018❣️The Barn is now closed for January and February and will reopen March 6th ☺️👍🏻We had so much fun serving you and look forward to a great 2019:)Today’s #SmallBizSalute goes to Barn Happy in Cedar Falls, Iowa, created and opened by Kris Boettger and her family almost 21 years ago.
Transformed from a dairy barn built in 1925, Barn Happy is located on the Boettger’s acreage and has become a one-of-a-kind business. Barn Happy works to preserve the agricultural heritage and values of the heartland, by highlighting food and products made in Iowa, which gives customers and visitors a genuine snapshot of the state. Kris travels around Iowa and hears about products to showcase at her store, which she loves to do. Barn Happy now has almost 100 local vendors in their store.
“Why would we buy stuff from China when we can get it in Iowa?” says Kris. “We support our local economy, we support our state’s economy, people like real stuff. I just like the idea of supporting people that live in our area.”
It took the Boettger about one year, and a lot of cleaning, to transform the old dairy barn into the store it is today. In April of 2003, the doors were open to the public. She says pacing herself helped her with starting up and finding the right store hours for her.
“I feel like people in small businesses either don’t survive because they don’t make enough money, so they’re broke, or they’re burnout because they’re making enough money but it’s not a sustainable lifestyle. They work too many hours. That would be my reality if I didn’t keep my hours short.”
Barn Happy’s story showcases how being able to find a balance between family and work is a key for a fruitful life. With both of Kris’s kids out of the house now, she and her husband still enjoy running the store and seeing their customers with smiles on their faces. Barn Happy was recently awarded the Iowa Tourism Award for Outstanding Retail Experience in 2017 and upholds this experience to this day.