Poweshiek Trading Post giving life to vintage wear and antiques

​      Cameron and Ren Fisher, owners of the Poweshiek Trading Post at 829 Main St., Grinnell, specialize in vintage wear and antiques. The couple opened the store in August 2021 and take great pride in offering a wide array of items for the collector and those looking for something unique and different. “We hope people will come check us out,” said Cameron.

By J.O. Parker
 
      Poweshiek Trading Post could best be described as a mixture of Americana, history, heritage, vintage and rust.
     Tucked away in a small space next door to the Frontier Café at 829 Main St., Grinnell, the business is stocked with vintage clothing for children and adults, antiques, new and old jewelry, artwork and much more.
Cameron and Ren Fisher, owners of the business, take great pride in offering a wide array of items for the collector and those looking for something unique and different.
      The business carries a large selection of pre-90s vintage wear, including denim, military wear dating back to World War II, overalls and work wear, dresses, shirts, blouses, old boots and a few things in between. They specialize in the 1940s – 1970s vintage wear timeframe.
      And that is not all.
    The store also offers antiques from gas and oil memorabilia to tobacco tins and boxes and vintage paintings and artwork. There’s also a selection of vintage camping gear, seed corn and feed sacks, limited antique toys, old cameras, baseball caps, vinyl records, 8 track tapes, books, Boy Scout items, old advertising signs and even an Elvis tapestry.
     The store also offers vintage turquoise and native American jewelry and beaded Meskwaki earrings by Josie AnnMarie Beads in Tama.
       There is also a line of apothecary skin care items, candles and soaps available.
       “They are from small sustainable companies,” said Ren of the above mentioned products.
       “With the clothing and antiques, we are definitely an Americana vintage store,” added Ren.
      The couple, who met in Des Moines, opened the business in August last year. Ren, who grew up in Grinnell, had previously managed a vintage store and worked as a home stylist (home décor) in the Des Moines area.
      She started selling on-line in the summer of 2020 and also setting up displays, which she referred to as pop-ups, at other businesses and selling her wares.
       “It grew so fast that we decided to jump on a retail space that opened in Grinnell,” said Ren.
     Cameron and Ren enjoy going antiquing, but they also buy and trade for vintage wear and antiques from people who come to the store. They said community involvement has really helped them plant roots in Grinnell.
     “You can count on seeing the classics and things you’ve never seen before,” said Cameron of customers who step inside the store for the first time. “It’s like a trip down memory lane.”
      “We get to meet a lot of people through what we do,” said Ren.
      “People who stop by always have a story or memory to share,” added Cameron.
     The business is open from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m., Tuesday – Saturday.
    For more information, the business can be reached via email at [email protected] or on Instagram and Facebook. You can also check out the store’s many offerings at www.etsy.com/shop/poweshiektradingpost.
      “We hope people will come check us out,” said Cameron.