Marshalltown book lovers and beverage enthusiasts will have a new spot to check out and hang out in. Fizz & Fiction at 18 W. Main St. will host a grand opening on Saturday, March 7, from noon to 5 p.m.

It has been a longtime dream of owner Kelsey Schumacher to own a book store, and husband and co-owner Dylan was more than happy to help turn that dream into a reality.

“There are no rich family members, just a lot of hard work, blood, sweat and tears from the both of us, a vision and a dream that we’ve tried to fulfill,” he said. “My wife has had the dream of owning a book shop since she was a kid. She’s a big reader. I tend to not even read instruction manuals. It’s not really my thing, but it’s been my wife’s goal. So, to see it come to fruition has been really a pinch-me moment. I want this to be a place where people connect, where people feel like they belong.”

On opening day, they will have drink specials, free drink giveaways, free tote bags for the first 25 people to walk through the door, a tarot card reader and raffles for items such as a Sarah Maas book set and a brand new Kindle

Kelsey said Fizz & Fiction will not be an all-encompassing book genre store, but will focus on romance, fantasy, thrillers, horror, manga, young adults and kids books.

She has also been busy booking author signings with Rhonda Mumby, Kathy Haan and Lisa M. Lucero.

“I’ve emailed a few others I’m working on, but those are the ones that are booked so far,” Kelsey said.

Noting that there are very limited options when it comes to purchasing books in Marshalltown, she said she wants to be “the place” to do so. Kelsey has even signed the store up for the Indie Book Shop Tour, which begins July 1 and lasts through Sept. 30. The tour consists of book enthusiasts getting a “passport” and bingo card and traveling to different mom-and-pop book stores in Iowa. The more stamps a person gets, the more chances they have at winning prizes.

While primarily a book store, the “fizz” aspect comes from dirty sodas — a beverage similar to an ice cream float, but drinkable. It is made with a carbonated liquid, such as pop or an energy drink, mixed with cream, flavored syrups and a hint of acidity from lime juice. Dylan said the options to customize a dirty soda order are almost endless — for example, a lemon-lime base with a blue raspberry and coconut syrups, cream and a blue raspberry cold foam.

“We can put some of our cold foam into it, mixed with the flavors so now you have a specific cold foam tailored and flavored to your specific liking,” he said. “There are endless options – more purees and toppings than we know what to do with, caramel drizzle, marshmallow fluff. We’re trying to make it so there’s a drink for everybody. We’ll have the sugar-frees and diets, as well.”

Not wanting to leave the youth out, there is also a kids area in the back with reading nooks, free books for them to read and free classic arcade games for them to play — Pac-Man, Mortal Kombat and NBA Jam. The adults who are not into reading, such as Dylan, are also free to enjoy the games.

Renovation

When the opportunity came to rent a storefront on Main Street inside the former home of the Wax Xtatic Record Store, the Schumachers pitched the idea of a book and dirty soda store to the landlord. Dylan has always been task-focused. Give him something to do, he’ll complete it and look for the next task. With the building, there were plenty of duties and tasks to finish before Fizz & Fiction could open.

They did an almost complete rehaul starting almost a year ago. The only things they did not touch was the wood wall paneling on the floors and the tile ceiling. Almost everything is handmade – the bar, the wall separating the businesses, custom cubbies for the kids, upholstered seating and more.

The renovation unfortunately led to a delay in the opening. A plumbing disaster set them back three months. The plumbing contractor the Schumachers hired made a mistake and forgot to place a ring on a pipe. Dylan got a call from the business neighbor next door, letting them know she could hear water coming from their building and pouring into her basement.

“I rushed over here, got to the front door and I could hear it,” he said. “It sounded like the Amazon rainforest in here. I opened the door and Ol’ Faithful, a 20-foot water stream, was just shooting up to the ceiling. Thirty feet from where the water line was was just completely soaked. It looked like the Amazon rainforest in the basement, just a trickle effect of water everywhere. I thought this was where our journey stopped, but it was just a mistake.”

The Schumachers hired ServPro to come in and clean it up and Dylan said they had a two-month-long fight with insurance to help with damages.

“That took a lot of effort and was just draining, to try to have this goal and vision, but life works itself out. It always does,” Dylan said. “We persevered, got up and made sure we did everything we needed to do to get this place open.”

The plumbers felt terrible, he said, but as someone who owns a construction company, he understands those mistakes happen. In the end, it was made right.

Fizz & Fiction will not be the only business in the location. In an effort to keep their ventures under one roof, Kelsey’s company, Schumacher Accounting, has been relocated to the back of the building.

Dylan thanked his friends who gave time and effort toward bringing the business to life – Antonio, Troy, Eric, Roger, MaKayla and Emily.

‘A place for everybody’

Dylan noted that Fizz & Fiction will be closed Sunday, March 8 after the grand opening, but will reopen for regular business hours on Monday. On Wednesdays, the store will be open fewer hours to allow for book clubs and classes on potting, book binding and more. He said they will also have reduced hours on Sundays for the same opportunities.

To make it easier for people who might be walking or biking through, he said they will ship whatever books a person buys.

As the Schumachers brought the store to life, they also focused on how to make things better in Marshalltown. Dylan said helping people, their family, their kids has always been one of their big goals.

“We live here. Our kids live here. We grew up here and have businesses here in this community,” he said. “We need to look out for everyone here. Not just for who is in our circle, but everyone in the community matters.”

The response from the community in anticipation of the opening has been crazy, Dylan added. So much, it has made him a little nervous

“We want this to be a place for everybody,” he said. “No matter who you are, where you came from, what you look like, who you believe in, this is a place for everybody. We want everyone to feel welcome who come through that door. That’s our goal. We want you to bring your friends here, spend time with family here. We want you to bring your kids here, have your business meetings here, if you don’t have somewhere to go and are catching up with an old friend. If you want to get out of the house for a little bit — send the kids to the back to play free video games, grab a drink and sit down.”

STORE INFORMATION:

What: Fizz & Fiction

Address: 18 W. Main St.

Phone: 641-752-9511

Days: Sundays through Saturdays

Hours: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday, Tuesday, Thursday through Saturday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m, Wednesday; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday

Grand opening: March 7, noon to 5 p.m.

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Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.