Posted 11/9/2021
By Susan Thompson 
Lake Panorama Times

Larry and Heather Isom grew up in California, her on the coast and him near Death Valley. They met as employees at a local pizzeria in San Luis Obispo where he was attending Cal Poly University. They married in 1998 and moved to the Midwest two years later.
Sixteen years ago, they settled into a home on Lake Panorama’s Burchfield Cove. Larry is director of engineering at Power Lift in Jefferson. Heather is trained in interior design but “retired” in 2009 when their daughter was born. The couple now has two children. Danica is 12 years old, and Clint is 8.
Larry’s father’s retirement plan was to own and operate a tree farm. Roland and Laura Isom learned to love Iowa when they visited Larry and Heather from their home in California.
“His retirement plan was planting 1,200 sugar maple trees,” says Larry. “Dad worked civil service as a programmer for the Navy for most of his career. My mom was a school teacher. In 2010, they bought the ‘Glades old place’ and started the tree farm.”
The tree farm is on Highway 25 north of Guthrie Center near Springbrook State Park. Larry and his father planted 1,200 sugar maples in 2010.
“He wanted to grow sugar maples because they are a nice, fast-growing hardwood tree, and because he wanted to produce maple syrup,” Larry says.
The 13 acres of land where the trees were planted was a pasture surrounded by mature trees on the east and west. The Middle Raccoon River, which flows into Lake Panorama, borders the south side of the tree farm. A house and large metal shed are on the north.  
Although they had a tree farm in Iowa, Roland and Laura continued to live in California. Within a couple of years, Laura retired from teaching and made the tree farm her semi-permanent location. Larry’s sister also moved to Iowa and lives in the Cedar Falls area.
Roland continued to work and make frequent trips to Iowa. He retired in 2017 and moved to the tree farm. But he didn’t get to enjoy his retirement plan for long; he passed away just short of one year after retirement.
“I helped Dad lay out and plant those first 1,200 trees,” Larry says. “We had been helping him on the farm since then and started doing all the work after he passed.” Last year, Larry and Heather purchased the farm from his mother, who still lives in the house there.
One part of Roland Isom’s retirement plan was to make maple syrup, and he was able to do that for about five years with his son’s help. Larry and Heather have continued the process.
“The sap flows in sugar maple trees when the temperature is above freezing in the days and below freezing at night,” Larry says. “We start in mid-February and go to mid-March. We stop when the trees start to flower, because the sap turns very dark and has a bitter taste.”
It takes between 40 and 60 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of maple syrup. The sap is reduced over a wood-burning firepit, then moved to a cooktop in the shed. When it reaches 66 percent sugar, it is maple syrup, ready to be bottled and labeled. The Isoms maintain a list of previous customers, plus friends and family.
“We sell what we have on a first-come, first-serve basis,” Heather says. “It doesn’t last long.”
In 2017, the Isoms started tree planting again.
“We had lost about 50 percent of the original trees, many to flooding from the Raccoon River that left half of the tree field under water,” Larry says. “Since we had to replant, we added red, amur flame and silver maples.”
Tree planting now is an annual event with 18” tall, bare root trees shipped to them in boxes each spring and fall. Conifers are planted in the spring, and deciduous trees in the fall. The family plants 400 to 600 trees per year and has about 2,000 trees in the field now.
Four years ago, the Isoms planted their first Christmas trees, adding Scotch pine, white pine and fir.
“It was always part of the plan to grow our own Christmas trees,” Heather says. “Christmas is an important holiday in our family.”
Eventually the family will offer a “choose and cut” Christmas tree operation. Customers will stop in the heated shop to check in before going to the field to choose their tree. They will be able to either take a saw to cut down the tree themselves, or find what they want and have it cut for them.
“We should be able to start selling pine trees in three years,” says Larry. “Our goal is to get to a place where we can sell about 200 Christmas trees each year.”
Also in the shop will be a variety of wreaths, something that was sold for the first time last year. Heather and Danica are the wreath-makers in the family. Larry created a special corner in the heated shop for them.
“Last year we sold 15. This year we are aiming for 50 wreaths,” Heather says. “We love doing it together. Danica has quite a talent for decorating them. For now we buy ‘Charlie Brown’ trees from other tree farms, but once we get going we will have enough greenery on our farm for wreaths.” The pair already has several preorders and will have a booth at the Holiday Craft Fair in Panora the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
Another part of the Isom Tree Farm business is transplanting trees people want moved on their property, plus selling and planting trees from their farm.
“We have 100 sugar maples available for sale now to plant for landscaping,” Larry says. “We move these with a tree spade. The cost is $300 for the tree and planting it within a 30-mile radius of the farm. Eventually, some of our Christmas trees also will be sold as windbreak trees.”
Tree transplanting is only done in the fall or spring and is most successful when done in the fall, Isom says. Spring is usually wetter, and that makes the process more challenging. He is taking orders now and expects to move trees from mid-October into December.
In addition to the farm, work and keeping up with their two children, Heather and Larry are active in the Iowa Christmas Tree Association where Larry serves on the board of directors. The family has both a ski boat and a pontoon on Lake Panorama and enjoy time on both. Larry, Danica and Clint all are members of the Lake Panorama ski team.
While Larry and Heather say running a tree farm wasn’t in their long-term plans, they both enjoy it. Larry says he just likes to “do stuff, and there’s always plenty to do here.”
“It’s good family time for us,” Heather says. “Bringing the kids to the farm gets them away from their screens and outside to enjoy the fresh air. They’ve turned into good helpers when we’re working in the field.”
For more information about purchasing trees, or having current trees moved, the Isoms say phone calls or texts are best. Larry can be reached at 641-757-9817, with Heather at 641-757-7882. The Isom Tree Farm also is on Facebook, plus has a website at IsomTreeFarm.com. Email is isomtreefarm@gmail.com.

Posted 10/5/2021
By Susan Thompson 
Lake Panorama Times

It was 1998 when Jay and Jan Pattee opened a Ben Franklin store in Panora. They had owned the Perry Ben Franklin since 1983 and decided having a second store would be a wise business decision. They sold the Perry store in 2019 and soon will close the Panora location to retire after more than 40 years of working together in the “dime” store industry.
“Jay is 69 years old, and I’m 67,” Jan says. “We can’t do this forever. Although we still feel young, the best thing for us to do is retire and enjoy more family time.”
The Pattees have been looking for a buyer since November 2020. Several people have expressed interest, but to date no contracts have been signed. Liquidation will begin Oct. 14, and the store will close Dec. 22.
The family legacy of owning and working in Ben Franklin stores began with Jan’s grandparents, Walt and Blanche Soll. In the 1930s, they started buying and fixing up buildings across Iowa and opening Ben Franklin stores. They did this in Cherokee, Britt, Northwood, Belmond and Adel.
In 1952, their daughter, Betty Soll, met and married Philip “Chick” Schwarzkopf. The couple bought the Adel Ben Franklin in 1954, two weeks after their daughter Jan was born. They bought the Perry Ben Franklin in 1968. The Perry store operated under hired managers, while they focused on the Adel location.
Jay and Jan met in Dubuque. She was attending Clarke College and he was at Loras College. She was planning a career teaching music. He majored in German, while also taking some business classes.
“After growing up in the Ben Franklin stores in Adel and Perry, I told my dad when I left for college I would never work in a dime store again,” Jan says.
They had been married two years and were expecting their first child when Chick Schwarzkopf asked the couple in 1980 if they would take over management of the Perry store.
“We were just out of college and decided we’d give it a try for a little while,” Jay says.
They bought the store in 1983 from Jan’s parents.
“This was during the farm crisis, and local retail businesses were beginning to decline,” Jay says. “But we took a leap of faith and made it work.”
Jay says so-called “variety” stores like Ben Franklin peaked in 1979 and have been on a downward trend since. But the Pattees kept their two stores thriving by offering a wide selection of merchandise.
“We like to say, if you can’t find it here, you probably don’t need it,” Jay jokes.
The couple believes the future remains bright for a variety store in Panora, where shoppers can pick up a spontaneous birthday gift, buy a card for a friend, or get swim suits, life jackets and other summer items for lake living, without having to drive to the metro area or shop online.
Besides the wide variety, nostalgia is part of the appeal.
“Customers often talk about having shopped in a similar store with their grandmother,” Jay says.
Ben Franklin Retail Stores Inc., which was a full-line wholesale distributor, filed for bankruptcy in 1996. It closed company-owned stores, but franchises like the Perry Ben Franklin remained open. A company in Wisconsin purchased the name and continued to collect a franchise fee, without offering merchandise.
That led the Pattees to rename their Perry store Ben’s Five and Dime, and they used the same name for the Panora store.
“We copyrighted this name in Iowa, and it has served us well,” Jay says.
Dennis Jorgensen, a retired pharmacist now living in Kansas City, gets much of the credit for bringing the Pattees to Panora. He owned the building where their business is located.
“He wanted to build a new Medicap pharmacy on the east edge of town and was relentless about finding a new business to fill the building,” Jay says. “He didn’t want to have it sitting empty. He kept talking to us about the possibility of opening a Ben Franklin here and finally made us an offer we just couldn’t refuse.”
The center wall between what had been two buildings had already been removed, but the lower level of each side was unused cellar space. To accommodate the amount of merchandise the couple planned to carry, they knocked through the lower walls in two places. Two arches created in the brick walls allow customers to move throughout the lower level.
In 2009, a two-story addition was added to the south side of the building.
“We had to dig out behind the existing building, which gave us the chance to add parking and a back entrance,” Jay says. “We have customers who don’t like to use the stairs, so they shop upstairs, then drive around to the back to park and shop downstairs.”
The couple’s main supplier since the Ben Franklin bankruptcy has been Variety Distributors in Harlan. It is a buying cooperative, and both Jay and Jan have served on the cooperative’s board of directors. About half of their merchandise comes from Variety Distributors. The other half is purchased through up to 80 different vendors.
Merchandise offered in the Panora store has changed over time, with more home décor, apparel and items that appeal to Lake Panorama property owners added. Yet many favorites remain, including a large selection of fabric and crafting supplies, children’s books and toys, batteries, kitchen supplies and much more that fill every nook and cranny of the store.
The Pattees give credit to their employees for much of the success of the Panora business.
“We’ve had many great employees who have worked so hard for many years for us,” Jan says. “Some are retired now and some will be with us until closing day. They’ve had the same sense of pride in this business that we have, and we’re going to miss them.”
Jay says he’s enjoyed helping young people in their first work experience.
“It’s fun to help them learn the ropes in the retail business, while they also provide the labor we need,” he says.
Through the years, the Pattees have used a single word to help new employees.
“We ask them to think about getting the ‘GIST’ of what we do. The G stands for ‘greet’ the customer. The I is to ‘inquire’ if you can help. The S is to ‘suggest’ an item that might substitute for something they want if we don’t have it. And the T is to ‘thank’ the customer with a smile as they leave,” Jay says.
Jan says it’s going to be difficult to say goodbye.
“The people of Panora, Lake Panorama and many surrounding communities have been so supportive,” she says. “Though Jay has run this store for more than 20 years, I’ve really only been working here about three years, since we sold the Perry store. But I’ve met so many amazing people and have loved hearing the stories they share.”
Both Jan and Jay say they want to thank everyone for their patronage over the years, and they hope there will be another variety store in Panora in the near future.
“In the meantime, Andrea Tunink, who purchased the Perry Ben’s Five and Dime from us in 2019, is running a full-line variety store and would love to get to know you,” says Jan.
The Pattees say even though liquidation of the current merchandise will begin soon, new items will continue to arrive to keep the shelves stocked.
“We have Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas items coming,” Jan says.
The couple has three children and six grandchildren, all living in Minnesota. Jay also has a sister in Minnesota, and the couple owns a lake cabin there.
“The cabin is a grandkid magnet, so we’ll spend more time there in the summers,” Jay says.
Home base will continue to be Perry. They raised their children in a house there, and, since 2015, have lived in a loft over their former store. They also hope to travel.
“Although unlike some people, we’ll be traveling on a ‘dime store’ retirement budget,” Jay says with a smile. “We’ll have to wait and see how far that takes us.” 

Posted 10/5/2021
By Susan Thompson 
Lake Panorama Times

In April 2018, Reshape Fitness Studio opened its doors on the east side of Panora’s town square, in a space that was about 1,600 square feet. A little more than three years later, the business settled in late July into a new 4,000-square-foot location on the east edge of Panora.
Sue Bump and Julie Fulton are co-owners of Reshape Fitness Studio. Fulton and her husband, Keith, moved to Lake Panorama five years ago and work together in their family business, Heartland Proteins. Bump and her husband, Neil, and family have lived in Panora for 11 years. Bump works as a dental assistant at Lakeshore Family Dentistry.
Sue and Julie built a friendship five years ago discussing health, fitness and wellness. Bump previously taught local fitness classes, and Fulton was completing her yoga certification.
“We started talking about creating a place where families and friends in our community could actively work together to reach their fitness needs and goals,” Bump says. “People like to be around other people, inspiring each other and helping keep each other accountable.”
In their first location, the pair was able to create the cozy studio feel they were after.
“As we got busier, more clients joined us, class sizes increased, and we decided we needed a bigger space,” Bump says.
Keith and Julie Fulton purchased an existing building on the east side of Panora that had been part of the Brokers International campus. They did extensive remodeling, both inside and out, with new paint, lighting and signage. Four large windows were added to the west side of the building to let in light, and two existing garage doors on the east were made functional again.
The new studio has a dedicated yoga room, new equipment that includes two treadmills, elliptical trainer and rowing machine, and a sauna. The larger space made it possible to offer 24/7 access memberships, plus more classes. Now two to three classes are held most mornings and afternoons, seven days a week. While both Bump and Fulton teach some classes, they also have seven other instructors — Sandy Leiferman, Brittany Harney, Janie Kokakis, Kellie Lewis, Traci Kauffman, Kari Sebern and Kim Kent.
Looking to the future, Bump and Fulton say they would love to create and provide class options for seniors and male clients. Currently, Kim Kent and Bump visit Lakeside Village to instruct a senior fitness class weekly.
With the Reshape Fitness Studio space determined, the Fultons turned their attention to the north side of the building.
“Keith and I love looking in consignment shops when we travel, and I’ve often thought something like that might be fun to try in Panora,” Julie says.
Once again, a friend of Julie’s is now her business partner, this time in Restyle Décor & Consigned Furniture.
Carol VanKirk and Fulton met a year ago through a mutual friend. They both are retired school counselors, so they quickly found plenty of common ground.
“Carol’s niche is home décor, and I like the consignment furniture aspect,” Fulton says. “The idea of opening this business together evolved, and we decided to combine our interests and give it a try.”
“People are always moving in and out of the area,” VanKirk says. “We’ve had many customers who have stopped in to shop and said Panora needs something like this.”
All the home décor in the store — including pillows, throws, rugs and wall art —  is new. There also is a wide selection of new gift items, including candles, kitchenware, lanterns, seasonal decor and lake-related pieces.
Most of the furniture is consigned, although sometimes they will purchase something directly for resale. They advertise all furniture in the store as “clean, gently used, affordable and finer quality.”
There is a special “sale” room, with items that have been marked down, or items a customer might consider refurbishing. This room includes a special Abigail Annie’s Corner, with décor that remained after that store closed in 2017.
“We keep our prices competitive,” VanKirk says. “I think we’re filling a need in western Iowa and have a place people can shop for home décor and furniture without having to drive to Des Moines. We hope they will stop in and take a look, because we think we’re offering something different and unique.”
A grand opening for both businesses was August 29. Restyle’s fall hours include a special “sip and shop” event each Wednesday 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Thursday-Friday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. To view the Reshape Fitness Studio schedule and pricing options, download the app MINDBODY, or go to clients.mindbodyonline.com.

Posted 8/10/2021
By Susan Thompson 
Lake Panorama Times 

2021 marks the 94th year the Neel family has been in the lumber business. 2021 also marks the first year for the Hafner family to be in the lumber business, with Kelvin Hafner’s recent purchase of Lake Lumber.
The transfer of ownership was announced to Lake Lumber employees July 19 in a meeting that involved Tom and Sharon Neel and Hafner.
“I told them I want to learn from them,” says Hafner. “Customer service has always been important at Lake Lumber, and I want to continue that emphasis.”
The succession plan calls for the Neels to continue to work at Lake Lumber. No final date has been set for them to retire.
“We’ll be here for a while,” Tom says. “We want to help him succeed, and we’ll be available as needed.”
Hafner calls the arrangement exciting. “I’ll be a sponge, learning from Tom and Sharon and the rest of the staff. It’s going to take me a while to process everything, to learn their internal programs. I want our contractors and customers to know this will be a seamless change.”
The Neel family’s long history in the lumber business began in 1900 when George Neel and Sons purchased a lumberyard in Rippey. One of those sons, Leonard, started Neel Lumber in Grand Junction in 1927. His son, Bob, took over the business in 1954. Bob and Dorothy Neel purchased Lake Lumber in 1977 and continued to operate the Grand Junction location until it closed in 1982.
Bob and Dorothy’s son, Tom, joined the business in 1984. Tom and Sharon met in Minnesota, where he attended Mankato State, and she attended the University of Minnesota. When they married and moved to Panora after graduation, Sharon worked for Midwest Landscaping. She joined the lumber business in 1992, taking over management of the hardware line, so Tom could focus on building materials.
Working in the lumber and construction business isn’t new to Hafner. While attending college, he worked part-time for Beach Building Center in Muscatine and transitioned to a full-time position there after graduation.
Next was a sales manager position with Moehl Millwork, a locally owned wholesale distributor of millwork products based in Ankeny. The company serves lumber dealers throughout Iowa and contractors in the Des Moines metro area. Through that position, Hafner met the Neels and has worked with them for many years.
Tom Neel says he put out some feelers to industry contacts in the past year about possibly selling the business. Hafner had, in conversation, inquired about the Neel’s succession plans, which was to someday sell. Hafner later expressed serious interest, and they started working through the details.
Bob and Dorothy Neel were among the first people to own a home at Lake Panorama. They moved into the house they built in 1979. Bob passed away in 2000. Dorothy continues to live in her Lake Panorama home, although she spends some time at Lakeside Village during the winter months. In January 2016, at the age of 86, she officially retired from her Lake Lumber bookkeeping duties.
Tom and Sharon both turn 60 years old this year and say it was never their goal to beat Dorothy’s record of working until the age of 86.
“We’re ready to slow down,” Tom says. “We hope to travel more. I want to spend more time fishing, and hunting, and laying in my hammock. I hope we can have at least 20 good years of retirement.”
Three years ago, Tom and Sharon moved from Panora to a new home they built at Lake Panorama, on a lot next to Dorothy. Their daughter Breanne is the branch manager at Lincoln Savings Bank in Clive. Daughter Emily is a graphic designer with Two Rivers Marketing in Des Moines.
While both girls worked at Lake Lumber during high school, they didn’t have an interest in being involved long-term in the lumber business.
“This is a very tough, competitive business. There aren’t many independent, locally owned lumber companies anymore,” Tom says.
Hafner recently resigned from Moehl Millwork after 25 years to take on this new opportunity as the owner of Lake Lumber. He has lived at Lake Panorama since 2000. His family consists of two sons — Drew, a junior at Iowa State University, and Ethan, who will be a freshman at Iowa State this fall — and his fiancé, Stephanie Hummel.
“We’ve always been community oriented,” says Sharon. “I think it’s great for someone who is already in our hometown to be taking over the business, rather than a corporation that doesn’t know the community and customers.”
“The Neels have established a great legacy here, and I’m humbled to have the opportunity to carry it on,” Hafner says. “I’m looking forward to taking some of the load off their plates and helping make this a positive transition for them and their customers.”
Hafner acknowledges another thing he’s happy about is the short commute. He’s been traveling to Ankeny each work day for the past three years, and for 21 years before that driving at least 1,000 miles a week.
“Now I have a 5-minute commute,” he says. “I don’t even have time to finish my coffee.”