Books for Sale
By Co-Owner: Bonnie Meier

It is a good time of year to sit by the fire and read a good book. To encoourage this, starting the first of February and for a whole week we will have a buy two and get one free book sale. We will have both new and used books for sale. Many of our new books are by local authors or relate to Dutch history. We have some wonderful used books that were chosen by my uncle and aunt, Jon and Nila Boone, who are both former librarians and who know good literature. We also have some great children’s books, many from a former school teacher who knows what kind of books children enjoy. The book Lee and I wrote, "Letters from Ralph" will also be included in the sale. Buy two books at regular price and the third book (of equal or lesser price) is free.

Chocolate Heart Sale
By Co-Owner: Bonnie Meier

We have some wonderful Caramel Hearts available for Valentine’s Day. They are Caramel filled milk chocolate hearts by Mille Lac. Starting February 8th they will be offered at a 25% discount while supplies last. If we sell out of the hearts, we will put some of our other chocolates on sale.

Jewelry by Juliana for Sale
By Co-Owner: Bonnie Meier

For the week of February 22nd - 27th, there will be two jewelry promotions: 1. If you buy a necklace made by Juliana, you may choose a pair of earrings (of equal or lesser value) for free. 2. If you purchase a bracelet made by Juliana, you may choose a ring (of equal or lessor value) for free. There are no limits to how many times you can take advantage of these two jewelry promotions.

Iowa Caucuses
By Co-Owner: Bonnie Meier

With the presidential caucuses coming up on February 1, Iowa is being inundated with presidential candidates visiting the state and trying to get a good start on their campaign. I suspect every candidate of both parties has been either in Orange City or at least in Sioux City in the last several months. In fact, one candidate even visited our store this summer. It was at the time when we couldn’t get in through the front door because the sidewalk was all torn up. It was almost closing time when a large contingent of reporters and media people came through the back door following Ted Cruz. He was very nice and I appreciated the fact that the cameras were taking pictures of our little store and everyone was looking around, but I think we are all looking forward to completing the caucuses so that we can go back to a more normal life.

Lots of Snow
By Co-Owner: Bonnie Meier

It has been quite some time since we've seen the bottom of our driveway. It is covered with a layer of packed ice and snow. Hiemstra's Lawn and Snow Service has done a nice job at our store keeping the front walk clear so that people can get in and out without worrying about slipping. However, the ground is completely covered and it will take quite a bit of sunshine before we see it again.

Perusing our Guest Book
By Co-Owner: Bonnie Meier

Since our last newsletter we have had visitors sign our guest book from Arizona, California, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Texas, Wyoming, all over Iowa and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.