This is the shop of Cheryl...'Brooming Sisters'...in the lil' burg of Palo, Iowa. OK...I've never even heard of Palo, but it was on the news last year, near the city of Cedar Rapids, it had flood issues of unheard of proportion in the history of this lil' farming community.Cheryl had asked me to sell soap and candles at her shop, so I was making my usual deliveries and was totally mesmerized by this lil' jewel. The town is still in recovery over the flood, as Cheryl had a foot of Cedar River in her shop, but it hasn't stopped her from moving forward and pursuing her dream of a fresh flower shop/yarn shop. Selling florals all over the area and giving knitting classes too, filling this lil' cottage with smells and displays of a promise of flourish, as she recovers from last summer's deluge.
Barb from Sisters' had told me to be sure and check out this antique store while I was there...OH MY GOD!!! This is Rubideau Antiques...Bill and Kathy Zeller were just getting home from wintering in Arizona, with a trailer load of iron garden art and goodies for their shop, which, to my dismay, was not open yet for the season...but as I toured the grounds and being an avid gardener myself, I could see the hidden beauty that would all too soon flourish in this hidden gem of a town.
A little building in Bill and Kathy's yard...
and yet another little shack filled to the brim with treasures in their yard...
A tearoom with such old world charm, with a veranda to sip teas and eat scones on a hot Iowa summer afternoon...
another shop with all the charm of an old river city downtown...
and the promise of a community on the verge of finding itself again...Palo, Iowa...USA.
