For the second year in a row, an Elkader business has advanced to the final round of Main Street Iowa’s Open 4 Business grant competition. This year, Becky Dempster, owner of Styled Abode, earned second place and was awarded $15,000 to support the expansion of her downtown business.
Styled Abode is a carefully curated home and lifestyle boutique in Elkader that focuses on responsibly sourced products, including handmade, woman-owned, eco-friendly, fair trade and American-made merchandise.
Dempster first entered the world of home décor as a blogger, which eventually grew into hosting barn sales at her family farm from 2016 to 2019. The sales featured vendors offering antique, vintage, repurposed and handmade products.
Styled Abode opened its first storefront on Bridge Street in July 2021. In 2023, Dempster began placing greater emphasis on online sales, and in 2024, she relocated the business to its current location at 107 Bridge St. for better visibility and foot traffic.
When her dream of opening a storefront began taking shape, choosing Elkader was an easy decision.
Dempster recognized the resources available to small business owners through Main Street Elkader and the Elkader Area Chamber of Commerce, as well as the community’s commitment to supporting local businesses.
“I could see it’s a community that supports its small businesses, which was a really big part of it,” she said.
Dempster also highlighted the expertise of local residents as an asset to operating a business in Elkader. She has worked with area professionals for product photography, website coding and branding as her business has grown.
While the community’s support has encouraged her to continue growing Styled Abode, operating a retail business in a small town has presented challenges. Economic fluctuations and slower foot traffic during the winter months can affect sales, while the size of the local population naturally limits the customer base.
“I do think that online is a huge component of why I’m still able to be open in such a small community,” Dempster said.
Recognizing the importance of reaching customers beyond Elkader, she has worked to strengthen the business’s online presence. In 2025, she began working with an agency to learn more about online advertising and has since seen growth in online sales.
Without a formal business background, Dempster has also invested time in developing her knowledge of retail operations. She participates in a retailer education group that offers weekly live training and online courses, and has sought additional instruction in digital advertising.
“I think learning to make decisions based on numbers and data as opposed to just my gut or my emotions is a big part of owning a business,” she said.
That approach has influenced how Dempster selects merchandise and adapts her inventory to customer demand. While Styled Abode initially carried more furniture and lighting, she found greater success with smaller home décor items and gifts.
She now reviews sales reports to identify successful product categories, profitable price points and customer purchasing patterns. Dempster also uses artificial intelligence to help forecast inventory needs and attends a merchandise market in Las Vegas once a year.
These markets allow her to research emerging trends and see firsthand which colors, shapes, styles and products are gaining popularity.
Dempster has also noticed changes in customer purchasing habits since opening the store. While shoppers were more price-conscious during the business’s early years, she believes customers are increasingly recognizing the value of higher-quality products and are more willing to pay for them.
She has also seen encouraging signs in the number of people visiting the store, with foot traffic over the past six to eight months trending higher than during the same period a year earlier.
The next step in Styled Abode’s evolution is an expansion into clothing, supported by the recent Open 4 Business grant award.
Dempster explained that adding apparel is a strategic decision intended to create more financial stability for the business. Clothing generally offers stronger profit margins, and she believes it can appeal to customers who may not be looking to purchase home décor or gifts.
“I also think that there’s a gap in the community with the closures that we’ve had,” Dempster said, referring to the recent closures of downtown businesses that previously offered clothing, including Old Crow Mercantile and Emerald Grove.
Beyond serving local customers, she hopes the expanded offerings will attract more shoppers from surrounding communities.
Dempster recognizes the importance of tourism and day-trip visitors to the success of small-town businesses. Styled Abode regularly welcomes shoppers from communities such as Manchester and Cedar Rapids, as well as out-of-state visitors and travelers passing through the area.
She believes a diverse mix of retail businesses and restaurants is essential to making Elkader a destination worth visiting.
“The more retail businesses and restaurants that we have in town, the more people we’ll draw, because then it becomes worth the stop,” she said.
Dempster emphasized that variety is equally important, allowing businesses to complement one another rather than compete for customers seeking the same products.
“It doesn’t do us good to have ten stores if they all have the same stuff,” she said.
Her plans to expand Styled Abode began taking shape through Main Street Iowa’s Open 4 Business competition, which provides funding opportunities for business expansion projects in designated Main Street communities.
The application process began locally, with Dempster submitting her proposed project to Main Street Elkader. Participating Main Street communities could each select a business to advance to the statewide competition, and Styled Abode was chosen to represent Elkader.
The first round required applicants to complete a series of written responses, develop a project budget and submit a three-minute video explaining their proposed expansion.
Dempster was then selected as one of 12 applicants to advance to the second round, which consisted of a virtual interview with the grant committee. During the interview, she outlined her project and answered questions about the proposed improvements.
She ultimately advanced to the final round, joining four other finalists for a live pitch competition in Osceola.
Each finalist had five minutes to present their project before an audience and a panel of judges with backgrounds in business, banking and community development. Following the presentations, the judges deliberated and announced the awards.
Dempster earned second place and received $15,000 toward her expansion.
“I was just very grateful that they saw it as something worthwhile,” she said, adding that she was excited not only for her business, but also for the community.
She shared that several community members have expressed excitement about her plans, particularly the opportunity to fill vacant downtown storefronts.
Styled Abode is currently preparing to relocate to a larger space at 111 and 115 Main St., formerly occupied by Birdie’s and Emerald Grove Boutique. The move, which was planned before Dempster received the grant, is expected to be completed in early November.
The additional space will allow Styled Abode to display more merchandise, including its holiday inventory, while preparing for the larger expansion.
Dempster plans to use the grant funds to purchase coordinated display fixtures and clothing inventory. The more extensive updates, including the introduction of apparel, are planned for January or February, when the store will temporarily close for renovations during the slower winter shopping season.
Looking ahead, Dempster hopes to continue growing both the physical storefront and online sales. She views the two as complementary parts of the business, with a stronger online presence helping sustain the downtown location and continued growth creating opportunities to expand merchandise offerings.
Increasing online sales is a particular priority, as Dempster hopes to establish a more consistent source of revenue throughout the year, despite seasonal fluctuations.
That growth could also create additional employment opportunities in Elkader.
“As long as that continues to grow, I can employ more people in town and offer them more stable hours,” she said.
For Dempster, the expansion represents an opportunity to strengthen Styled Abode while contributing to the variety of businesses that make downtown Elkader a shopping destination.
In total, $75,000 was awarded to the five finalists in this year’s Open 4 Business competition. The first-place recipient, Demeter’s Market of Clarence, received $25,000. Other grant recipients included Styled Abode of Elkader, The Purple Wagon of Marion, Bloomers on Central of Fort Dodge and Fuego Hot Glass of Newton.
