Ground Floor: Cedar Rapids store moves from country to ‘industrial’

CEDAR RAPIDS — Kandis Weiland has a sign hanging in her new store that says, 'We used to do the hokey pokey but we turned ourselves around.'

That sign captures Weiland's yearlong effort to transform an old tack and saddle shop into a chic, urban boutique.

Weiland opened Industry in November in a space that had been home to Country Corner Western Store for more than 40 years. She had purchased the building a year earlier to realize a dream of owning her own business.

But first she had a lot of work to do.

'It was really dilapidated,' she said of the building located on Mount Vernon Road SE in Cedar Rapids. 'Every surface had to be changed — windows, doors, floors. It's been totally refreshed.'

The end result was the boutique Weiland has been envisioning for years.

'It's an eclectic array of modern, industrial and vintage clothing, furniture and accessories,' she said.

After graduating with a liberal arts degree from the University of Iowa, Weiland moved to Austin, Texas, where she worked as a buyer for a high-end women's clothing store. The Cedar Rapids native eventually returned to her hometown to raise her family.

'I've been telling my husband for 20 years my dream of having a boutique, making art and showcasing the wares of other artisans,' she said.

Industry offers new women's clothing and accessories not otherwise available in the area, vintage leather jackets and boots, and handcrafted leather goods and jewelry. The store also sells unique tables, stools and benches created by local furniture makers, as well as home decor and gift items.

Weiland said she is looking for other artisans whose work fits within the store's funky, industrial vibe.

The store currently takes up about 6,000 square feet of the 13,000-square-foot building, including a workspace at the back of the store where Weiland intends to hold classes on printmaking, beginning upholstery and leather jewelry-making. Plans for the rest of the building include a custom upholstery workshop and a 2,500-square-foot space that could be rented out for commercial use.

[naviga:h3 style="padding-left: 30px;"]AT A GLANCE

Owner: Kandis Weiland

Business: Industry

Address: 4396 Mount Vernon Rd. SE, Cedar Rapids

Telephone: (319) 366-4292

Facebook: www.facebook.com/industry.iowa

Know a business in operation for less than a year that might make a good 'Ground Floor'? Contact michaelchevy.castranova@thegazette.com