Discover handcrafted goods, local makers, artists and collectors at River Sound Co-op, which recently opened in downtown Elkader.

Eric Grau and Carol Muller are behind the venture at 112 N. Main St.—a property they’ve worked hard to rehabilitate since purchasing it.

“When we bought this place, it had been on the market for two years, because it was a lot of work to fix up,” Carol said. “It needed a lot of TLC, and we’ve worked really hard on it, Eric and I.”

For example, “this floor had carpet glued onto it. We spent two years with a hand heat gun, fixing the floor,” she recalled. “We put the accessible bathroom in. Clearing just the deck at the back. We’re trying to do things in a responsible way.”

The couple credited Deb Schmidt in helping them launch River Sound, which celebrated its grand opening Aug. 7.

“We had an open house with quite a few people here. The response has been positive,” Eric said.

River Sound features nearly 10 vendors, and as a co-op the vendors work the store two days per month. While Carol and Eric noted they don’t have a retail background, some of the vendors do, bringing valuable knowledge and experience—as well as unique items.

There are antique and vintage pieces, home decor and seasonal crafts, whimsical artwork, jewelry, honey, jams and jellies, wellness products and more.

“Each person creates their own things, but antiques also sell well, so there’s a bit of a mix of things,” Carol described. “But people are putting their own products together in a way that is creative. We are really interested in people who are making their own things, and eventually we will get people to tell their own stories.”

River Sound Co-op aims not to overlap with, but complement, Elkader’s existing creative community.

“We’re also quite interested in the sort of therapeutic value of things—well-being and wellness. Just having a place for people to come in and hear the sound of the river, which itself is a very therapeutic song,” Carol said.

It also inspired River Sound’s name.

Down the road, Carol and Eric would like to open a speakeasy in the basement, offering not only drinks but a space for conversation about poetry, books and films. They are also considering live music and even opportunities for podcasting and gaming.

With the rise of AI and anxiety surrounding new technologies, Carol hopes to incorporate technology in a smart way, while remaining real and people focused.

“I think it’d be nice if Elkader took the lead in those sorts of things,” she said.

But for now, River Sound Co-op is the focus.

“These are some of the things in the vision, but for right now, it’s a co-op with these vendors who are selling these things,” Eric said.

River Sound Co-op is open Wednesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. More information is available on the “River Sound Co-op” Facebook page as well as at riversoundcoop.com.

Carol and Eric are excited to see the venture grow.

“We’re just trying to get the system in place and the business in place,” Carol said.