With the arrival of warm weather to Grinnell, the trees are finally beginning to bud and across town, two new businesses are beginning to bloom!

Flowers by DZyne, a floral shop with some nontraditional offerings, opened its doors on Thursday, April 17 and has seen brisk business thus far.

“We did a soft opening, we didn’t advertise it,” said Cynthia Sherman, the store’s owner. “But it hasn’t been soft [business]. It’s been really busy. We had the windows wrapped, and I think once that came down people were curious to see what we were doing.”

Located on 813 Fourth Ave., Flowers by DZyne replaced Flowers on Fourth, a floral shop located in the same space,  which closed last December. The new shop has been remodeled and offers traditional flowers as well as tropical ones, and sells delectable treats, such as chocolates and truffles.

Sherman, who has owned the building for more than 25 years, has taken part in various enterprises, most notably a number of floral and decorating shops in both Grinnell and Newton. However, Sherman hadn’t always planned on becoming a florist.

“I bought a flower shop and then I went to school,” she said. Since then, she has been a member of the Iowa Florists’ Association Board of Directors for a number of years, and her position has given her the connections to work on decoration for Rose Bowl Parade floats in the last four years.

Sherman is also a past winner of the Iowa Cup and the Premier Cup—Iron Chef-style events that test the designing ability of floral arrangers.

Sharing the space with Flowers by DZyne is a new venture, Memories Maid, which offers frozen meals and treats, such as casseroles, pastas, monkey muffins and fruit cups.

“I went to the Chamber of Commerce, and they said that Cynthia [Sherman] was getting ready to start this, and they patched us together and it just fell into place,” said Nichole Swales, owner of Memories Maid.

Swales also has plans for occasional workshops—she has already scheduled a painting and a jewelry workshop. Both Swales and Sherman believe that the two businesses will complement one another nicely.

“It’s a nice combination … We’re kind of on a new fun adventure, doing things differently,” Sherman said.

Though there has long been another flower shop in town, Bates Flowers, Sherman believes that the diversity of selection at Flowers by DZyne, such as home décor and gift items, will help the business stand out.

“We are diversified. And Grinnell needs two flower shops,” she said. 

Across from Central Park, at the corner of Broad St. and Commercial St., renovations are underway for Grinnell’s first frozen yogurt enterprise, The Fix, which is expected to open in late May on 819 Broad St.

Owner Larry Thompson and his wife operated a frozen yogurt store called Worth the Weight in Newton for a year and a half before relocating to Grinnell.

“The economy in Newton isn’t what it used to be … We had a lot of customers from Grinnell and a lot of people wanted us to do it here, so we decided to make this the new location,” Thompson said, himself a long-time resident of the Newton-Grinnell area.

For many years, Thompson worked in customer service for Pella Windows. However, he had his first exposure to frozen yogurt through his daughter, a student at Grand View University in Des Moines.

“She … told us we had to check this place out in Ankeny, and so we did, and we really liked it. And so we found ourselves driving to Ankeny just to have frozen yogurt.”

Since then, Thompson says, frozen yogurt stores have started to take a hold in smaller communities, in Marshalltown in addition to his own Newton location.

Thompson anticipates that naming the new location “The Fix” will avoid some of the difficulties of his business in Newton, called “Worth the Weight,” a pun on the weighing done to determine the cost of a personalized yogurt that also incurred many confused callers asking whether the establishment was a weight-loss clinic. Thompson hopes that the candid name of his new frozen yogurt place will spare customers such confusion.

“We thought the Fix was a good name … Your toppings … you can make it however you want to fix it up, and at the same time get your fix for frozen yogurt,” he said.

When considering the new location, Thompson and his wife wanted to take advantage of the Grinnell College market. The space he selected is “a little smaller, but we liked the feel of it. I think it will connect with the college students, and we wanted to be within distance of the College,” Thompson said.

Thompson anticipates having six blendable flavors on hand, keeping a few core flavors and rotating more exotic ones in and out. In the past, flavors like Carmel Pretzel Sea Salt, the Candy Bar Smash and the holiday-exclusive peppermint have been particularly popular. Additionally, Thompson hopes to offer waffle cones and baked goods, such as cinnamon rolls and muffins, in the morning for hungry commuters.

There are still a few changes to be made in the renovation of the building space before its opening in less than a month. For instance, Thompson plans to add a small sitting area for customers to enjoy their frozen treats.

As The Fix awaits its grand opening, Thompson hopes for the best—and that the taste buds of Grinnellians will be welcoming—as the business finds a niche within frozen yogurt lovers in town.

“I hope Grinnell accepts us, and everybody likes what we bring to them. I hope it’s a long relationship,” Thompson said.