Des Moines-based and family-operated Homemakers Furniture is headed to eastern Iowa and will soon break ground on its second location in the state.
The company announced plans in January to open a second location in Tiffin, which they said will create 200 jobs in Johnson County.
Construction of the store is officially underway with a groundbreaking ceremony at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15. The groundbreaking will happen at Homemakers' future location, just south of PinSeekers in the Park Place development, a mile north of I-80 off I-380 between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City.
Attendees will hear remarks from Tiffin Mayor Tim Kasparek, lead architect Jason DeVries, and Homemakers President Roger Merschman.
In January, the company announced plans to open the Tiffin location, with construction slated to begin in 2025 and an opening date planned for 2028.
Homemakers has maintained an Iowa presence for more than five decades, getting its start in 1974 by owners Carl and Ina Merschman. The company celebrated 50 years in the Des Moines metro in 2024. The company was acquired by Nebraska Furniture Mart in 2000, but the Merschman family still manages the store.
"We're excited to bring Homemakers to Tiffin," said Roger Merschman in a news release. "This community's growth and energy make it the perfect place for our next chapter. Our mission has always been to make furnishing a home more enjoyable and affordable. We look forward to serving eastern Iowa families for years to come."
Large showroom will match size of flagship Urbandale store
The company'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. The Homemakers Furniture Tiffin location will feature a spacious showroom with a wide range of furniture styles, from traditional 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 with in-home delivery.
The Tiffin Homemakers Furniture location is anticipated to create 200 jobs in the area, including management roles, sales jobs, interior design consultants, delivery drivers, and warehouse staff.
Homemakers Furniture is the latest addition to the growing community of Tiffin. 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.
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_