‘Hub of hospitality:’ Coralville turns 150

As the city of Coralville began to grow into the city it is now, it became known as the “hub of hospitality.” 

Coralville turns 150 years old on Oct. 3, when it will end its year-long sesquicentennial celebration. The city’s businesses that continue to grow after years of service — as well as the newer developments — continue to embrace its history. 

The longest serving businesses 

In February 2023, the City of Coralville recognized some of its longest serving businesses for their dedication to the community. One of the businesses that received the honor was Harry’s Custom Trophies, 1725 Second St., Coralville. 

The business has run for 66 years, co-owner Kevin Manary said, and started in the home of founders Harry and June Malichky. Since Mr. Manary’s parents acquired the business in 1971, he and his brother have been working at Harry's Custom Trophies and eventually took over the business.

“We’re not millionaires but there’s something to be said about still being in business,” he said about receiving the certificate. “We put food on the table for four different families. It’s been a journey that saw a lot of changes within who we’re making trophies for.”

The company was honored alongside Randy’s Flooring and Hills Bank.

Randy’s Flooring, which opened in 1976 and continues to run out of its 401 Second St. location, was originally founded by Randy Ward. In the past few years, it has become employee-owned and operated as Mr. Ward retired.

General Manager Dan Dombroski said the business’s main focus now is to help younger people get into the trades since the demand for the flooring industry and construction business isn’t going away any time soon.

“We have a lot of people who have been here for a long time,” he said. “My big focus right now is hiring the next generation of people that can be project managers. It can take someone, depending on the person, five years to fully understand the steps of projects. We’ve had a lot of growth, but to maintain and continue that, we have to continue to bring new people on and train them about our industry.” 

He said it’s crucial for businesses to invest in themselves the way Randy’s Flooring has as its employees continue to lead the business and want to see it flourish for decades to come. 

Hills Bank opened its first Coralville location when it purchased uniBank & Trust — formerly Coralville Bank and Trust — in 1984 at 1009 Second St. Hills Bank had already been operating from Hills, Iowa, and some other locations for 80 years when it opened at Coralville bank.

Keith Jones worked for Coralville Bank and Trust as well as uniBank & Trust before Hills Bank acquired them. He stayed on for 35 years and has worked full or part time for the business since.

“At Hills Bank, you can go to the corner office and get just about any service that you would expect to get from a bank,” he said. “That wasn’t the case elsewhere. So that was the philosophy when the company was really expanding in the ‘80s and ‘90s. So, it helped build that sense of community at (various) locations.”

Support from the Corridor

Coralville businesses receive a significant amount of patronage from the surrounding area, Mr. Manary said. He pointed to the support of the University of Iowa in Iowa City as a main contributor to his business’s success and sustainability.

“During COVID, if it hadn’t been for the University of Iowa, we probably would’ve had to lock our doors,” he said. “We lost 65% of our business during COVID just because of the shutdown, so we made it and we survived in a large part because of them and that we owned our building.”

Randy’s Flooring has expanded to include a Cedar Rapids location, Mr. Dombroski said. The new location was made possible by the support of Coralville residents and the reputation the business has.

Coralville residents do support their own “ma and pop shops,” Mr. Manary said, and the repeat customers stabilize the local economy.

He said it is essential for the businesses in the city to give back and encourage volunteerism to keep the Coralville community and businesses afloat.

“In the city of Coralville, they support us because we support them,” he said. “... I’m appreciative for everything the community has given us. We’re very fortunate to have local support.”

Dawn Rasmussen, marketing manager for Randy’s Flooring, agreed, pointing to the business’s support of the UI’s Stead Family Children’s Hospital and sponsorship of local events.

“There’s a strong level of commitment that we as a company give to our communities,” she said. “Including supporting all the local sporting and high schools and kids.”  

The future of Coralville

The city is continuing to invest in its hospitality.

One example of this is the development of the Iowa River Landing south of Interstate 80 at exit 242, off First Avenue. The business district has grown in the past 20 years as it now has 14 businesses to dine at, 16 to shop and Xtream Arena for events and sports. The district also offers housing and has four hotels. 

Iowa River Landing Commercial Property Manager Deanna Printy said the development plans to continue to listen to the Coralville community to serve the interests of the city’s residents and see where the future takes the district.

“We do listen and we are going to listen to what community members say and try to help them as long as we think it’s on the guidelines of what we’re shooting for and what we think will actually work here,” she said. “There are going to be some stores that we know probably wouldn’t be a good fit, but we do listen to everybody and we want them to tell us what they want.”

She said the district is looking to grow more in the future with more land to potentially build on. The diversity of the district and its offerings, she said, is what brings customers and businesses to the location in a way that few other eastern Iowa areas have witnessed. 

Remembering the past while moving forward

Ms. Printy’s excitement for the future is shared by many, including Nick Westergaard, director of the University of Iowa Story Lab, who hosted the Coralville 150th Live Storytelling in celebration of the sesquicentennial. 

He shared a story at the event about the 2008 flood and a small hardware store that no longer exists. Mr. Westergaard said it’s important to look back on the past to understand how to keep a vibrant community growing.

“At times like this, it’s easy to mourn parts of our rich history that aren’t here anymore,” he said at the event. “But when we do that, we miss out on the fact that we can often see that history reflected in the new faces and new places that are part of our bright future.”

Rex Brandstatter, a lifelong resident of Coralville and the city’s unofficial historian, said the growth in the city has been exciting to watch.

“It became an official town in 1973 and we got our start because of the dam and the river,” he said. “That’s why we’re on the map because we put the dam in and that created a possibility for a cotton mill and a grain mill. So people started to live around it because they lived there and the early businesses were supporting those people with a plethora of ma and pop shops, which is no different than it is today … After World War II, we were 300 to 400 people. In 1961, we got a post office and we were 1,200. And today, we’re 22,000. It’s totally amazing.”

Regardless of the growth the city has seen, Mr. Brandstatter said he’s most excited about the possibilities the future has to hold for the community and businesses alike. 

“Coralville is totally a hub for hospitality, even if we don’t use that motto anymore,” he said. “We have hotel accommodations, housing accommodations, food and travel services. It’s a center for people, that’s what we are and what we’ve always been.”