Des Moines-based and family-operated Homemakers Furniture store is headed to eastern Iowa.
The organization announced Wednesday plans to open a second location in Tiffin, which they said will create 200 jobs in Johnson County.
The new store will be in the Park Place Development, a mile north of I-80 off I-380 between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. Pinseekers opened in late 2023, which will be less than a mile from the new Homemakers store.
Construction is scheduled to begin in 2025 with an opening date planned for 2028.
Homemakers has maintained an Iowa presence for more than five decades, first getting its start in 1974 thanks to owners Carl and Ina Merschman. The company celebrated 50 years in the Des Moines metro in 2024. The furniture store was acquired by Nebraska Furniture Mart in 2000, but the Merschman family still manages the store.
“We are thrilled to introduce Homemakers Furniture to Tiffin, providing residents with the same outstanding selection and service that has established us as a trusted name in home furnishings for 50 years,” said Roger Merschman, President and second-generation family operator in a news release. “We have proudly served Iowans and remain committed to our core values of integrity, service, and community involvement as we expand.”
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Large showroom will match size of flagship Des Moines store
The facility’s Tiffin showroom will be approximately 200,000 square feet, about the size of three and a half football fields, the same size as the Urbandale location. Homemakers Furniture Tiffin location will feature a spacious showroom with a wide range of furniture styles, from traditional styles to modern and contemporary offerings, along with hundreds of home de?cor items and mattresses. The Tiffin store will fulfill sales from its warehouse, allowing customers to pick up their furniture same-day, curbside or in-home delivery.
The Tiffin Homemakers Furniture is anticipated to create 200 jobs in the greater community, including management roles, sales jobs, interior design consultants, delivery drivers, and warehouse staff.
Homemakers Furniture is the latest development to come to the growing community of Tiffin.
“This moment represents a turning point for the City of Tiffin, ushering in an exciting new chapter of opportunity and continued progress for our vibrant and growing community,” said the Mayor of Tiffin, Tim Kasparek, in a news release. “(Homemakers) arrival will bring an exceptional shopping experience closer to home (and) create meaningful jobs, invigorate our local economy, and elevate the quality of life for our residents. This partnership is a testament to the bright future ahead for Tiffin, and I couldn’t be more excited to see the transformative impact it will bring.”
More:Tiffin-Coralville Forevergreen Road tussle settled with plans for new roundabout
Roundabout at nearby Forevergreen Road intersection could ease traffic
Tiffin and Coralville settled a land dispute on Tuesday night that likely will impact drivers as they make their way west to Park Place Development. A new roundabout is planned for the jagged intersection of Jasper Ave. with Forevergreen Road, just west of I-380.
More than 7,700 vehicles pass through the funky Forevergreen Road intersection daily, according to court filings made earlier in this case.
Tiffin was rated one of the state's fastest-growing cities in the late 2010s. The city's population nearly doubled between 2010 and 2017.
Tiffin previously argued, according to court documents, that a roundabout would "benefit every private landowner adjacent to, or in the vicinity of, Forevergreen Road with better access to the public road system, and maybe being able to develop their properties for more intense or different uses."
The City of North Liberty said the $7.8 million project will get underway in 2026.
Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and education reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at[email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rishjessica_