Sisters’ Garden & Bloom in Kalona
On her business’ website, Barb Hochstetler describes her shops, Sisters’ Garden & Bloom — two neighboring farmhouses on Highway 1 SW near rural Kalona — as quirky, retro and upscale.
They certainly are jam packed.
“There’s a mix of old stuff and new products. It’s an ever-changing inventory,” Hochstetler explained. “We like to say we have an urban flair with country on all four sides.”
Related: Sisters’ Garden & Bloom hosts fall festival on September 21st and 22nd
When Hochstetler and her husband, Brent, purchased the property 20 years ago, she recalled, “This place was a disaster. It had no furnace or running water.
“I would have never thought this would transpire.”
Sisters’ Garden — the shop that calls the original farmhouse home — opened in 1994 with only three rooms. The upstairs and the so-called garden room were opened later.
Bloom, the second shop, opened in 1999.
“We actually built that house, in place of a fallen barn, but tried to make it look old.” Hochstetler said. “You’ll find one-of-a-kind pieces in both stores.
“It’s re-surging, the whole re-purposing movement,” she noted. “We want people to come here and get ideas and inspiration.”
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