PHOTOS: Obama makes stop at Prairie Lights Books in Iowa City

President Barack Obama made time to bring back his daughters home a souvenir.

After mentioning Prairie Lights bookstore in his speech, Obama made a quick trip to the shop to meet a few locals and bought 11-year-old Malia and 8 year-old Sasha two books, along with one for White House Press secretary Robert Gibbs' son.

“I was not expecting that,” co-owner Jan Weissmiller said. “It all happened so fast.”

She said she was thrilled when she learned the small shop, with just 30 employees, was highlighted in his speech. And not long after the speech ended, Weissmiller was on the phone when she was told to hang up because “someone special” was dropping in.

She said her insurance premiums had gone up 35 percent, but the health care reform could mean she could raise wages for the employees.

“Starting today, small business owners can sit down at the end of the week, look at their expenses, and begin calculating how much money they're going to save,” Obama said, noting that small business owners could qualify for a tax credit that covers up to 35% of their employees health insurance.

Paul Ingram, A buyer for the bookstore, called the president “Mr. Charm.”

“He's just such a lovely man,” he said. “It was great that a lot of our best customers were in here then.”

Obama pulled out $37 cash and paid for the books and praised the quaint little shop.

“You have a wonderful bookstore. Hopefully it'll be a little easier to make sure everybody has health care,” he said.

While one customer heckled Obama when asking him if he was paying with taxpayers dollars, another customer asked the president if he had gotten anything for his wife.

“Uh, thanks for getting me into trouble,” Obama said.

Weissmiller said it's been difficult to keep her insurance payments doable, but seeing Obama in person gave her a little faith.

“I felt like knew him. You see him so much, and here I got to shake his hand,” she said.

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