Bierbaum settles in as new owner of White Sparrow

The White Sparrow at 510 N. 4th St. celebrated its grand re-opening June 13 with new owner Missy Bierbaum.   Missy was announced as the new owner by prior owners Tatum Jansky and Gayle Allensworth in March of this year. As part of the grand re-opening, Bierbaum hosted a book signing for childhood friend and author Misty Harris-Durst.
“I grew up on a dairy farm outside of Red Oak, myself and Misty have been friends ever since. We went to school together, from as far back as elementary school as well as graduating together. Even though we went different ways, we’ve always stayed connected. She wrote her book prior to me purchasing the shop.” commented Bierbaum. “We both have sort of the same interests and love decorating and home décor as well as sharing our Christian faith.  It worked out great because she was able to come back and be here for the grand re-opening. She’s got a ministry on a farm down in Kansas. Her and her husband, John as well as daughter, Sloan, are bringing in some of the Christian daily devotional items. We had already started to implement the devotional line.  We’ve been working together back and forth with that kind of items we want to have available to purchase.  We are helping each other out as they are working on their own journey with their ministry, Hills and Valleys Farm Ministries. Sloan is in the process of building her own business as well, Proverbs 31 Boutique. It really just has kind
of all fallen together for us all to able to work together.  It was great for Misty to be back here and for people to be able to visit and talk to her.”
Bierbaum continued by saying this is far from her first foray into the business world here in Red Oak. She also owned Diamonds and Dirt in Red Oak for six years. 
“Family things came up and we decided it was time to close that door and see where we went from there.  When that door closed, I never realized another one was going to open because I still have my cleaning business, Missy’s Cleaning Service,” said Bierbaum.
When it came to the shift in ownership, Bierbaum said Jansky and Allensworth made a surprise phone call out of the blue.
“They had contacted me and said they were thinking about leaving and they thought that I was the right person to own it. They didn’t want it to go to just anybody. They said they’d love to see me bring my talent to the store and bring in more local vendors from Iowa, and they thought I was a good fit for it. I sat and thought about it for a week or two and thought, ‘Well, okay, maybe this is the new door that’s opening. I decided that I would take it on and it would give me something else to do. I’m not going to be able to clean forever,” stated Bierbaum.
Once she made the decision to buy the White Sparrow, Bierbaum said the most difficult part was the wait.
“I’m the kind of person that wants to get going like now. Patience was hard for me, but there’s a lot more behind the scenes than most people ever realize when you’re trying to deal with vendors as well as other routine transitional items.  You can’t do a lot of that until you actually have possession, but it worked out kind of nice. We closed for a week before I actually took ownership.  Misty actually came back because she’s a painter as well and painted for me. So it worked out good with that too.”
Aside from painting and re-arranging, Bierbaum said there wasn’t much left to do as far as preparation, as most of the inventory was already there.
“We have two different candle companies that are in our area, Stellar Sparks Candle Co. in Creston, and Collina Candle Co. in Glenwood. We also sell Bramble Wood Acres goat milk soap. The owner was from the Emerson area and now they operate out of Indianola. I actually sold Bramble Wood Acres soaps when I owned Diamonds and Dirt. Another area vendor whose product we sell is Tammie Bodwell, who owns Jackie’s Junk Jewelry, she’s out of Villisca,” advised Bierbaum. “When it’s local and it’s Iowa and you have a story behind it, everybody loves that. Tammie makes all custom handmade jewelry that’s exclusive here just for the store, which is great because if it’s too big, too small, we don’t have to worry about sending it back. She can make the adjustments easily. That’s one of the things I really like and cherish about being able to operate in a small town. You have more of a customer base and one-on-one with people. There’s so much talent with these sellers, and it’s better than buying items produced by big corporations.” Selling items from the local vendors also helps the local vendors themselves by having a brick-and-mortar store to sell from.
“It frees their time as far as having to do so many craft shows and travel. The setup and all the stuff that they have to do is a lot. There’s so much behind the scenes. It gets their name out there a lot more when they’re going to different shows.  But for people that already know their brand, when it’s in stores like this that sells their items they love it.  Customers and vendors don’t have to wait to go to shows or have to wait to have it shipped as when they are buying online or over the phone,” Bierbaum explained. “When it sells good in a store, they have to increase their production which is good for them as the demand is so great that they have had to hire extra people to meet it.”
While the ownership has changed, Bierbaum said all the stock that kept bringing in customers in the past is still available. There are a few items she’d like to try out.
“I’m interested in things that promote health, like the more natural supplements and stuff like that. I have some that are more of the vegan type of things. You do have to be careful with some of those items because some people are allergic to that stuff.”
“One of the most popular things in the shop is our Magnolia rugs. That’s probably one of our biggest sellers here.  They have been a staple since the very beginning of White Sparrow. When it comes to being a Magnolia vendor, we’re the only shop in a 55-mile radius that can carry them in this area,” said Bierbaum.
Bierbaum added that the grand re-opening event was a major success and she appreciated everyone who stopped in. “There was great support. We had so many people come through our door and it was an even flow the whole entire day. Members of the Red Oak Chamber and Industry Association were here, and there was a lot of in town people and out of town people, as well as friends, and family,” Bierbaum commented.
Bierbaum said owning the store also gives her the chance to work with her mom, Sandy, as well as a great staff.  “My mom loves it. It’s been good for her. It gets her back out in the community. That’s what I love about the shop. Most of the people that we have employed here are all retired.  It’s great because it’s something that they can come and do as little or as much as they want, and they get to be around people. My mom is a people person, as are the rest of my staff. It’s been fun working with all of them. They all have things that they to bring to the table, and each brings something different such as talents and ideas.  It’s a great team.”
Bierbaum has a special message she wants to share with anyone that hasn’t visited White Sparrow yet, or hasn’t been there in a while.
“There’s something for everybody, and we have a variety of price points. My goal is for everyone to know that they can purchase a variety of items at affordable prices that they love. The Christian line is very important to me as well.   I feel that we need a more Christian, expression material available in our community.  My goal is to have it available to purchase at the shop so you don’t have to get online to obtain it.”
Bierbaum said at White Sparrow, they have adopted the following mission statement, ‘Come as a customer and leave as a friend.’
To learn more about the White Sparrow, visit facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576246640466 or shopthewhitesparrow.com.