Big State Event Boosts West Des Moines Merchants’ Holiday Sales

Christmas came early for some West Des Moines merchants when about 5,000 high school and college students danced – in at least one case literally – through their shops.

First, the literal dancing: In town for the Iowa State Dance Team Association state competition, the eight members of the Union High School (LaPorte City) dance team needed a place to practice their drill before an early-morning performance.

So they grabbed a corridor at Jordan Creek Town Center, drawing curious looks with their routine and a boisterous “Union out!” shouted at its conclusion. But no one minded, especially when the girls started handing over fives, tens and twenties and swiping debit cards at mall stores.

In all, the ISDTA participants left something like $560,000 behind in Des Moines and West Des Moines, said Greg Edwards, executive director of the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau.

He figures the participants booked 1,800 hotel room nights. Families of the 5,000 participants swelled the number of people in town to about 15,000, and they spent money in restaurants, shopping venues, attractions and fuel stations.

The timing was great for merchants hoping strong holiday sales would put their retail establishments in the black. The ISDTA competition took place over three days the week after Thanksgiving, boosting already strong Black Friday sales.

“It used to be that everybody talked the buzz about the girls’ basketball tournament,” Edwards said. “They still do; it’s a huge event. But events like this in early December, which are historically not a huge busy weekend for us, are also important.”

Shopping, Hotels Give West Des Moines Some of the Action

West Des Moines, with its malls and shopping districts like West Glen Town Center with nearby hotels, was one of the big winners, Edwards said.

“The majority of hotels in West Des Moines feel the presence of this event,” he said.

One of them was Drury Inn & Suites, where the Union High School and a half dozen other teams stayed.

Union dance team coach Katherine Ollendieck said just getting her team to the capital city cost $1,500 for hotel rooms and competition entry fees. They spent another $300 on meals. And none of that accounts for what they spent in shops.

One of the big winners was Schaffer’s Impromptu, a division of Schaffer’s Bridal Shop and the go-to place for exclusive prom dresses in Iowa located in West Glen Town Center within strolling distance of the Drury Inn.

"Daddy, May I?"

The girls tried on dozens of dresses, occasionally sending a text with a plaintive “please, may I …” to their parents. Smiles indicated the response. “Maybe,” as they calculated what they might be able to earn between now and prom time from part-time jobs.

Events like the three-day ISDTA competition “bring in a different crowd,” said Christine Benskin, a clerk who has worked at the store since it opened about seven years ago.

“They want to see what other schools are wearing,” Benskin said. “It makes the days a lot of fun. The girls get excited to try on the dresses.”

The ISDTA didn’t translate into huge sales, but generated plenty of sales leads and promises to come back before spring and buy their dresses.

“They’ll get more involved,” Benskin said. “In the long run, people will come back.”

Impromptu keeps records on what dresses will be worn at what proms with its one-dress-per-school policy.

Ollendieck, the girls’ coach and the other adult chaperone, Lori McFarland, were more interested in Impromptu’s ready-to-wear collection, which includes “more elegant options for people to wear” than are typically found at mall chain stores, Benskin said.

“We have some very classic classy looks,” she said.

Small Businesses Helping Each Other

Next, the girls headed down the street to Bella Boutique.

“It’s great,” said owner Victoria Jorgenson. “The Drury’s good about sending people down here and allowing us to send out a coupon to get them in here.”

Jorgenson said that cooperation from hotels and is essential to the success of small, locally owned businesses like Bella.

“Shopping locally and working with each other locally is the best thing any community can do for itself,” she said. “We need big box stores and department stores, but we also need a lot of small businesses.”

Bella opened three years ago and like the other boutiques in West Glen, it aims for exclusivity.

“It’s a nice place if you need a unique gift,” she said.

ISDTA executive director Kathy Enyart expects West Des Moines to get more hotel business and, as a result, more shopping dollars in years to come because “they want to be close to restaurants and shopping.”

“They are spending a lot of money in Des Moines area,” she said. “They’re coming from all over the state, and they’re spending money. A lot of people have never come to Des Moines, so it’s a kind of big deal.”

The state dance team competition is the largest event of its kind in the nation, drawing competitors from 270 high schools and and 23 colleges.