Revisiting Valley Junction

Whether you live in the Des Moines area, visit it occasionally, or just might make a stop there at some point in your life, be sure you spend some time in Valley Junction.

A quaint warren of streets tucked amidst a rather unpretentious residential area, not downtown but not quite to the strip mall sprawl of West Des Moines, historic Valley Junction is one of Iowa’s “Main Street” communities. An area once frequented by railroad workers, the area morphed into a bustling downtown—in the late 19th century, you’d find horse-drawn carriages, a trolley line, wooden sidewalks, and a sprinkling of banks, drugstores, and boarding houses. Now, it’s teeming with interesting shops worth a stop.

Regrettably, I didn’t spend much time in Valley Junction until the last year or two I lived in Des Moines. Sure, I’d heard about it from my first year at Drake, but never really knew where it was or bothered to go until after I’d graduated (except for one dinner with my fellow “magazine people” at Cafe Su, which is delicious, by the way).

Once I spent time wandering the neighborhood though, I fell in love with its antique stores and quirky shops. This is a place loaded with genuine personality.

That’s why the opportunity to spend a bit of time wandering Valley Junction again the other day was too good to pass up.

A warning: As is the case with most independent shops in Des Moines, these stores close early, so if you’re thinking of spending a Saturday evening wandering you’re out of luck. Most shops we went into closed by 5 or 6 p.m. But at least that gave us enough time for a bit of exploration.

Some of the highlights:

• Buying a chai tea at Fifth Street Fountain, which boasts an old-fashioned soda fountain (you can even get phosphates!) and yummy ice cream.
  
  
• Wandering, while sipping said chai, through the antique store attached to Fifth Street Fountain. This is one of my favorite stops—it’s filled with antiques of all sorts, collectible odds and ends, jewelry, a massive selection of old magazine covers and advertisements, and more. Best of all, the ceiling is covered in an array of distinctive chandeliers and glittering lights (all for sale, of course). On this stop, I tried on the same sparkling silver heels I’ve tried on every time I’ve gone in the store for the last year and a half (still waiting for them to magically fit), found a lamp that I would’ve snatched up if I had an extra $137 lying around, and ended up buying two terrific Saturday Evening Post magazine covers from the '30s to frame for my office—one of which is shown below (thanks for the idea, Mom!).
  
  
• Across the street, The Lagniappe offers a random amalgamation of art, jewelry, and accessories from local artists spread across three floors. A couple of my friends bought terrific rings there on this trip; last time I was here, I bought my sister a fabulous statue of a figure doing tree pose (yep, Coley, this is where I bought it, and those terrific handmade mugs too). The top floor is now a wine bar too, so if you visit at the right time you can sit and sip a glass of wine in the bar or on the deck.
  
  
• Nearby, I always have to stop in Fair World Gallery, which sells fair trade items from around the world. (That means the workers who create the products are paid a fair wage and work in safe conditions). The selection is random and terrific, ranging from beautiful wooden tables and handmade bags to greeting cards made from elephant poop (really—they’re cute!), children’s toys, and funky jewelry. Of course there’s also the requisite selection of liberal bumper stickers. Of course.
  
  
• Then there’s my favorite retro store, A Okay Antiques. It’s loaded with retro signs, jukeboxes, great dishware from the fifties and sixties, and the midcentury modern furniture I’m absolutely in love with right now. If I had a million dollars, I’d buy everything in the windows and a good portion upstairs. I also stumbled upon a great magazine I must start reading on my quest to go midcentury in mi casa: Atomic Ranch.
  
  
• Be sure to stop in 2Au Limited, if only for a minute, to check out the absolutely amazing jewelry she designs. Everything is one-of-a-kind—buy a ring here, and you can be pretty certain the woman sitting next to you won't have the same one. If I had anything left from that million dollars after cleaning out A Okay Antiques, I’d definitely spend it here.
  
  
• One of these days, I’m actually going to spend time in Artistic Bead, where you can make your own jewelry. I’m not talking cheesy plastic beads, but real gemstones, pearls, you name it. Just wandering the store and touching all the strands of stones is fun, even if you don’t have time to whip up a funky necklace of your own.
  
  
• I didn’t have time on this trip, but I also love browsing the vintage clothing at Atomic Garage (yep, that’s the store with the tie-dye front), The Theatrical Shop for all sorts of wonderful and wacky costumes, and a handful of other antique stores for odd finds. There are a slew of art galleries too, Three Dog Bakery (I have a feeling I’ll be interested in frequenting it soon ... hint, hint), and more.

What are you waiting for? Go visit!