Building owner Julie Miller bought the old Israel Moore building in December. It is across the street from the Marshall County Courthouse and she practically gutted the place.

“It has taken me a little less than a year to accomplish everything,” Miller said. “Now the building is very girl friendly with ‘salon, body and house’ inside.”

Miller ripped out the familiar 1960s orange carpeting and wood paneling, tore down a few walls and light fixtures and breathed modern, artsy life into the interior. That is what she does after all. Miller also owns J. Thomas Interior, which is housed in the Jules Israel Moore building, along with a salon, a massage therapist and botox service Blissful Expressions.

Sara Faltys, co-owner of Blissful Expressions with her husband, Shane, moved into the Jules Israel Moore building space in March

T-R PHOTOS BY LANA BRADSTREAM Julie Miller of J. Thomas Interiors speaks to stylist Gina Tomlinson in Escape on Main. Miller is the owner of the Jules Israel Moore building which houses the salon on historic Main Street. She has modernized the interior of the facility while preserving the historical look on the outside.

“It is absolutely beautiful,” Faltys said. “I love the way Julie has preserved the history of the building and made it gorgeous.”

Blissful Expressions clients are wowed by the modern interior and the historic exterior of the building, Faltys said.

Miller renamed the salon Escape On Main to help provide customers with the feeling of being somewhere else. On the walls are pictures from Miller’s many travels.

While the interior has modern elements, Miller wanted to preserve some of the history of the building, which was built in 1857.

Many buildings on the historic Marshalltown Main Street could use some tender, loving care, according to Miller.

“People had problems with buildings and needed facelifts before the tornado,” she said. “I have seen a lot of people happy with this building.”

Faltys is hoping more downtown business owners will follow suit and renovate or remodel buildings, such as Miller or the owners of Ocean City — Qiang Sun and Li Hao.

“They tore down the entire facade in front of these columns,” Faltys said. “A lot of people have commented on how beautiful and great those columns are and what a great addition they are to the downtown.”

Whether or not the building makeover has increased foot traffic is yet to be determined. Miller said many of the customers at the Escape on Main salon are regulars.

Faltys believes the remodeling project has brought traffic in to the building. She said Blissful Expressions clients appreciate the mix of modern and historical and the fact that it is a private setting.

“They tell their friends about it and how beautiful everything is,” Faltys said.

Only one drawback Miller has dealt with since purchasing the building has been the lack of downtown parking.

Being across Main Street from the courthouse has limited parking for her business and has caused many elderly people to walk greater distances to get to their salon appointments.

“I wish the parking could be better,” she said. “Parking is tough downtown.”

For her project, Miller hired contractor Tim Bryngelson to restore the exterior cornice and repair the three upper windows. She also hired Dan Anderson to work on the drywall.

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Contact Lana Bradstream

at 641-753-6611 or

lbradstream@timesrepublican.com