March 01, 2023 by Brent Antisdel
in Business Feature
Customers line up outside the store on a warm Saturday morning in February. Seventy-nine tickets are handed out before the store even opens — tickets that determine the order of entry. Once 10 a.m. hits, those first in line run into the store. By 10:02, carts are full. At 10:05,
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March 01, 2023 by Brent Antisdel
in Civic Skinny
The abandoned east Kaleidoscope building at 515 Walnut St., now permanently closed, could soon be demolished to make way for a new addition to the downtown Des Moines skyline. Local developer Joe Teeling of Saint Joseph Group announced resurrected plans for 515 Walnut Tower, a mixed income multi-family project on
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March 01, 2023 by Brent Antisdel
in Political Mercury
The Republican candidate for governor of Arizona in the last cycle, Kari Lake, an embattled and ascendent conservative with a rocketing national profile, pulled a crowd in Ankeny on Feb. 11 that had the feel of a White House-run event. The former Iowan said she’s not running for office, but
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March 01, 2023 by Brent Antisdel
in Film Review
Meet Tom (Justice Smith), a sensitive guy who spends the day surrounded by classic novels and first-edition collections while reading in his bookstore. How is this possible? Didn’t “You’ve Got Mail” officially kill the mom-and-pop book stores? Well, his family is loaded. Duh. One day, Sandra (Briana Middleton), a Ph.D
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March 01, 2023 by Brent Antisdel
in Food Dude
Hospitality management colleges, like the highly rated one at Iowa State, teach that names are a first essential step toward restaurant or resort success. A name should appeal to a public sense of comfort (Cozy’s, Fireside), pride in history (Iowa Machine Shed, Proudfoot & Bird), romance (Open Sesame, Zanzibar), clever
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March 01, 2023 by Brent Antisdel
in Des Moines Forgotten
I moved back to Iowa from Colorado in 2007. I settled in Des Moines on the south side without knowing anyone. I had a dodgy (but also cheap) apartment on Fleur between Gray’s Lake and the airport. Smartphones really weren’t a thing yet, and Tom at Myspace was still in
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March 01, 2023 by Brent Antisdel
in Joe's Neighborhood
“Could I help you, hon?” I don’t know. As an old man, the bright florescent world of Target presents several unique challenges — like where in this giant warehouse is the darn thing I’m looking for, particularly when I can’t exactly remember what that darn thing is that I am
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March 01, 2023 by Brent Antisdel
in Center Stage
Most of us have had that moment of unintended personal accountability when our words are thrown back in our faces. It’s a very uncomfortable learning experience. So, what happens when a country has one of those moments? Such is the power of the reimagined musical, “1776.” Studying history can make
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March 01, 2023 by Brent Antisdel
in Belly Up To...
A popular brewery, Backpocket Brewing, opened a satellite location in Johnston in January. Backpocket Pin & Pixel is located at Merle Hay Road and 62nd Street in the newly constructed Johnston Town Center. The new digs differ from Backpocket’s original Coralville location. The “Pin” portion includes duckpin bowling, while the
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March 01, 2023 by Brent Antisdel
in Lunch With...
Mike Wedeking is Mister Barbecue. After 20 years at Flying Mango, purveyor of the best vibes of any restaurant in Des Moines, he is trying to retire. We asked him to lunch, and he selected Wasabi Chi on Douglas. This is the BBQ guy’s escape — everyone in the restaurant
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