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Cactus & Co. Art & Flower Studio opens in Conrad

By Sara Jordan-Heintz 4 min read

CONRAD -- For Shellee Jordebrek, her new business, Cactus & Co. Art & Flower Studio, is more than a venue for selling home décor and flowers; she also envisions it as a gathering space for art classes and a community hub.

Located at 105 N. Church St. Suite A, the building is filled with her artwork -- what she dubs artzy-fartzy -- plus seasonal furnishings, faux and fresh flowers, plants, funeral and spiritual items, and folks dropping by for coffee and to chat.

She said the name for the business holds symbolism.

"I found this saying that said, 'Strength is not found in the absence of struggle, but in the resilience to grow through the heat of the sun and the chill of the night.' And that is what a cactus basically stands for," Jordebrek said. "My three things that I love are cactus, feathers and arrows."

Those designs and more can be found at Cactus & Co., which has been officially open for about a week.

"I decorate around suitcases, old watering cans and old ladders -- that type of thing," she said of her style.

She also runs Burn and Branded Hats by Shellee, focusing on hand-burned hats, caps, slippers and boots.

But, she points out, she hadn't envisioned opening her own place until the building became available to rent.

"Life has a way of unfolding and it's not always what you expect," she said.

A native of Gladbrook, residing in Conrad, she graduated from Hawkeye Institute of Technology (Hawkeye Community College) in 1984 with a degree in commercial art. She took a job at a small silkscreen shop before moving to Mid-Iowa Workshop for 10 years.

"Back in the day, there were 110 clients with the programming, and I supervised 54 people," she said. "We had multiple counties we would serve."

A social worker friend suggested she apply at the Iowa Veterans Home as a recreation therapist. The rest is history.

"I had no idea what rec therapy was. I worked (at IVH) for almost 30 years (December 1994-August 2024). I did activities and we took the veterans all over. I could incorporate my art into my programming," she noted of the experience.

For about 15 years, she'd take a short break from her duties at IVH to do floral arrangements at Hy-Vee for Valentine's Days and Mother's Day.

"I'd work about 10 days for those holidays," she said. "They'd put me in the back and I just designed as crazy as I could."

Jordebrek notes that growing up, both of her grandmothers were creative.

"We were always up to something," she said. "You're surprised how it affects who you become."

While she plans to offer scheduled events and workshops, for now, she's asking those interested to reach out to her directly. She can do sessions in earring making, junk journaling, mini fall wreaths and fall and Halloween painting -- ideal for bridal showers, bachelorette groups and girls' night out. She can also plan art activities for kids' birthday parties. Ideally, groups should consist of 10 or fewer people.

"I want to concentrate on when kids have days off from school, or between Christmas and New Year's, or just a one-on-one art class with some child, or grandkids visiting," she said. "I have a family that said they're going to have 10 grandkids here around Christmas, and can we have a little gathering for them where they can make something for their parents for Christmas."

Tentative hours are Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday afternoons and evenings for events. She's available to do flower arrangements for special occasions.

To learn more, or suggest a class/workshop, she may be reached at: 641-751-6993.

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