Walk into Suzy's Kitchen & Gifts in Altoona and you'll notice something right away. It's not just the colorful displays or the hundreds of products packed on every shelf. It's a feeling — like someone who truly loves what they do picked out every single item just for you. That feeling is not an accident. It's the whole point of this store.
From a Two-Room Home Office to a Mall Storefront
Suzy Henriksen has loved selling things since she was a little girl. She spent years working in direct sales, mostly with kitchen products. By the end of 2019, she was ready for something new. She decided to open her own store — right out of her home in Pleasant Hill. She started a Facebook shopping group and trusted that people would love what she had to offer.
What she didn't expect was COVID. Her store opened January 1st, 2020 — just weeks before the pandemic hit. But Suzy kept going. While other businesses were shutting down, she welcomed customers one at a time. She hosted shopping events in her Facebook group. She grew her following entirely by word of mouth. She even held a ribbon cutting at her home, masks and all.
Taking the Leap Into Retail
After thirteen months at home, Suzy moved into her first real store. It was a basement space in Pleasant Hill — a former tattoo parlor. It wasn't fancy, but it was hers. Having a real address meant she could work with bigger brands. She could show up on Google Maps. She could finally be found. A few months later, she moved upstairs into a street-level space in the same building. Things were looking up. Then the phone rang.
It was the General Manager of the Outlets of Des Moines. He wanted Suzy to open a store at the mall. Her first reaction? No way. She figured it would cost too much. A mall felt out of reach. But he was persistent. He came to meet with her in person. He showed her the numbers. A few months later, Suzy's Kitchen & Gifts opened at the Outlets — and the difference in foot traffic was impossible to ignore. "You can't argue that a mall is always going to give you way more traffic, especially around the holidays and on weekends."
An Explosion of Color
One look around the store and it's clear — this place was not built from a template. Every single item was hand-picked by Suzy herself. She doesn't copy other kitchen stores. She doesn't follow a formula. She buys what she loves and what she believes her customers will be excited to find.
The result is what she calls "an explosion of color." The store is bright, full, and fun. You won't find anything quite like it in the Des Moines area. She carries everything for cooking, baking, serving, storing, and gifting. She's the number one retailer in Iowa for Geometry microfiber towels. She's also a top seller for Swig and Brumate insulated cups. She brings in new products every single week. If something doesn't meet her standards, it goes on clearance and gets replaced. "If I don't like it, I normally don't have it in here," she says.
She also listens. If a customer asks for something she doesn't carry — a ricer, a specific tool, anything — she goes and finds it. That kind of care has turned the store into more than a place to shop. It feels like an ongoing conversation between Suzy and the people who love what she does.
The Team Behind the Store
Suzy runs a lot of the business on her own. She handles the website, social media, marketing, buying, and events — all without outside help. She posts in her Facebook group when new items arrive. She goes live on video to show off new products. She also runs a shopping website where you can order for pickup or shipping. Two managers help pick out some products, but Suzy approves every order before it goes through.
When it comes to hiring, she has a simple rule: she only hires customers. No strangers. Her reasoning makes sense — her products take knowledge and passion to sell well. The people who have shopped with her for years already have both. "They know the product, they've seen the product, they've heard me talk about it for years, and they use it. That makes a huge difference in a store like this."
A Business Built on Real Relationships
Suzy's website tagline is simple: "Life is about relationships." She doesn't just say it — she lives it every single day in that store. Every person who walks in gets greeted within fifteen seconds. Every customer gets thanked when they leave, even if they didn't buy a thing.
"I want my customers to know that I care about them," she says. "It's not about just the transaction. It's about making people happy."
She learns names. She remembers preferences. One regular loves everything pink — so when Suzy places orders with color options, pink is always in the cart. She knows who loves purple, who gravitates toward teal, what NFL team people like. "If you don't create relationships with people, if it's just a transaction, I would have no way of doing any of that," she says.
One story says it all. A customer who serves in the National Guard was about to be deployed. Before she left, she made a special trip to the store — just to hug Suzy goodbye. Suzy has stayed in touch with her the whole time she's been away.
"Where would you do that? Who would you do that to, other than family?" Suzy says. It's not a rhetorical question. It's just the reality she has built.
She also thinks about what happens when people don't feel that connection. "I've been in countless stores around town where I wasn't even greeted when I walked in," she says. "If you don't even acknowledge that I walked in your store, I'm done. I'm out." At Suzy's, that never happens.
Supporting Local — Suzy's Favorite Spots
Suzy doesn't just talk about supporting small businesses. She means it. She's a longtime member of the Pleasant Hill Chamber of Commerce, where she has served on the board of directors and as president. She also joined the Des Moines Chamber this year. And when customers ask her where else to go, she's always ready with a list.
"I'm not a big, huge corporation run by men in suits," she says. "I'm a real person. When you shop local, you are putting groceries on someone's table."
Here are a few of the local spots Suzy loves and recommends:
What's Next for Suzy's Kitchen & Gifts
Suzy is nowhere near done growing. Every January she heads to the Atlanta Gift Market to find new brands and products. This year she expects to add about forty new brands to the store. New items come in every single week. Her long-term dream is to open a second location on another side of Des Moines. For now, she's focused on building the business she has — and getting more people through the door.
Coming up soon: a Sip & Shop Ribbon Cutting on May 2nd at 9:45 AM, hosted in partnership with the Des Moines Chamber of Commerce. There will be specials, new products, and swag bags for everyone who shows up. It's the kind of event that perfectly captures what this store is all about — come in, find something you love, and leave with a smile.
Suzy believes life is about relationships
