The final shopping days for The Rustic Corner

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

The clock is ticking as The Rustic Corner nears its final shopping day.

After 18 years across multiple locations in Charles City, Tami Vetter’s gift and novelty shop will close its doors for good on Saturday, March 15.

“We’re all excited,” said Vetter, who announced the impending closure over the New Year holiday and has been gradually winding down operations since.

Known for its Hallmark products, gift items, and a variety of amusements that Vetter jokes nobody needs, The Rustic Corner has been busy in its final days, unloading items with heavy discounts as customers come into find deals and say their good-byes.

“The sell-down has been going really well,” said Vetter. “We’ve had customers come all the way from Omaha to see us.”

As the prices drop in the final days, Vetter said she has been interested in seeing which items leave the shelves fastest.

“Some of the top-selling items have been things that have been stored in the basement for 12 years,” she said.

While Vetter has been referring her Hallmark customers to a Hallmark affiliated shop in Iowa Falls, a good portion of the rest of The Rustic Corner’s inventory has been distributed around Charles City to other businesses.

Otto’s Oasis has already acquired and set up the store’s engraving equipment and T-J Service/Charles City Electronics has adopted some of the Rustic Corner’s popular merchandise.

“They took our top selling brands so they would stay in town,” said Vetter.

From books at Prologue Books and Wine to kids items at Birdie and Bo’s, some of The Rustic Corner’s items will continue to be available in Charles City.

Vetter did seek out buyers to take over The Rustic Corner, but none of the interested offers panned out, she said.

Once the store is closed, Vetter will clean the building up and put it on the market in the hopes that a new enterprising entrepreneur can start a business of their own.

“We’re just ready to move on and let the next generation step into our shoes,” she said.

The loss of The Rustic Corner downtown also means the loss of Vetter as one of the business community’s most active organizers. As a former president of both Main Street Charles City and the Chamber of Commerce, Vetter was heavily involved in many of downtown’s regular shopping events such as Chickfest, which is coming up next month.

Anticipating her retirement, Vetter has worked to make sure other downtown business owners such as Darci Tracey and Tiffany Rottinghaus are able to pick up the reins.

“Over the last couple years we’ve created a good core of businesses owners that have put on events in town,” she said.

As for Vetter herself, she will continue to operate her other business, Working Women, which specializes in logistics operations for pet food suppliers.

“I’ll be able to focus on that,” said Vetter.

The closing of The Rustic Corner is the end of an era for downtown, but just as Vetter’s store was launched to fill a gap left by another closed business, she hopes a new store will come in to provide a shopping experience for the community.

“People like happy experiences and our store was an experience more than anything,” said Vetter. “Thanks to everyone that supported us over the years.”