What Happened when Valley Junction Shopkeeper Dreamed, ‘If I Ever Own a Store …’

Gail Boothe knows all about that tired couch, loveseat and chair grouping featured in the Sunday newspaper advertising sections, their upholstery a tired refrain playing in living rooms across the state and region.

She worked in the big-box industry for years. So when it came time to open her own shop, she first went back to the drawers full of brochures she had collected while looking for furnishings for her own home.

Customers at her new Valley Junction store – Space Doctors Interiors – will see where Boothe’s search for unique items took her.

“I have kept these brochures for years,” Boothe said. “When I would find a store or product line I loved, I would think ‘If I ever own a store ...’ and take a brochure.”

Boothe recently opened the Valley Junction store after Space Doctors Interiors outgrew a little 400-square-foot shop in Shueyville in eastern Iowa. She was faced with either finding a retail space in nearby Cedar Rapids, or moving back to central Iowa, where both she and her husband grew up.

Their children were gone from her home, and her husband travels for his job, so why not, the couple decided.

Now, with more than 3,000 feet of floor space, Boothe is enjoying the luxury of not having to limit floor displays to a few favorites. Her store carries a full line of carpet and flooring, lighting, interior design, tiles, fans and other home decor items.

Boothe is putting all that experience selling cookie-cutter furniture and furnishings to work. “I learned what sales were and build-to-grade quality, and I’m trying to find something better, more higher end,” she said. “I like for people to have the opportunity to buy things they love. Almost everything in the store is something I would buy for myself.”

Her inventory is a “step above” big-box stores, but not interior design level that many people can’t afford.

“I’m trying to provide some decent, fun alternatives and things for your home that are at a reasonable price,” Boothe said. “I’m not trying to compete.”

As a small business owner developing both store and online traffic, Boothe emphasizes customer service. She wants people to love what they buy. If they don’t, returns are easy.

“I want people to take a picture home and enjoy it – size and lighting change at home, and they can bring it back if it doesn’t work,” she said. “I don’t want someone to have something they feel stuck with. I want it to look fantastic.”

And if they can’t find it in her store, she will order it.

Booth staffs the store, a smart business practice that allows her to keep control overhead and keep prices down. But it also gives her a chance to enjoy the daily vibe of Fifth Street,  the historic shopping district’s main thoroughfare.

“This is my retirement. I love the people who come from the Junction, who are so proud of what is here, and also getting to meet people from all over the country who come here to shop,” she said.

“I’m not just selling a product for a paycheck,” she said. “I really want people to love their home. I think I care a little more than just some employee getting a paycheck.”

About Space Doctors Interiors