Tis the Season at Hallmark Gold Crown

Red Oak’s Hallmark Gold Crown Store at Mark Jackson’s Red Oak Hardware Hank has everything imaginable to make the Christmas season bright.
Jackson said the original Hallmark, which was located where the FiveOne8 is now situated was owned by Maxine Ingersoll. When she retired, she was unable to find anyone to take it over, and the community was without a Hallmark for decades.
“My lovely wife Ann Carder spent about 20 years trying to find a way that we could bring Hallmark back to the community because our whole family has shopped at Hallmark forever. We shopped there as I was growing up, my whole family and me, even our daughter, as she was growing up, she would go over there and shop and buy gifts and buy cards and stuff like that and all the different things, and of course the keepsake ornaments. We kept looking at it, and the requirements at that time, over all those years, were so steep that smaller communities like Red Oak and businesses like us and entrepreneurs couldn’t really afford to bring it in to a smaller community. That’s why you only saw them in large cities. At one point in time, there were 12 Hallmark stores all over southwest Iowa. Over the years, because of the new steep requirements on how much you had to buy, they all closed,” explained Jackson.
Still, Jackson said they refused to give up, and then in 2017 Carder found a window of opportunity to bring in a Hallmark Gold Crown store in a smaller footprint.
“We would still be a genuine, full-blown Hallmark Gold Crown store, as we are, but you could do it in a footprint about one-fourth the size of what they had required previously. So initially she didn’t think that could be right. So naturally, she looked into it, and we followed up on it, and we determined it was an affordable way for smaller communities like ours to bring a Hallmark Gold Crown store into our community. And we did that a bit more than six years ago, and it has worked great,” Jackson said.
Since then, Jackson said they’ve maintained a great relationship with Hallmark, and when the program was ceased around three years ago, Jackson’s Hallmark store was grandfathered in and has remained in operation.
The Hallmark specialist is Lisa Wombacher, who’s been in the position for more than four years. Wombacher said she jumped at the chance to take on the role.
“Mark called me and said, ‘I’d like to talk to you about something.’ And it was working in the Hallmark Store for him. I’ve done retail before, but it hadn’t been for some time, so it was a complete change from working in a factory and office setting to working with the public again. I didn’t realize how much I had missed it. I enjoy each year getting to know the dedicated Hallmark customers that come in,” commented Wombacher. “I know them by name now, and they know me by name. So when they call, they can ask for Lisa, and they know that I will do my absolute best to help them find what they need.”
For Jackson and Wombacher, the Hallmark Gold Crown store is truly a labor of love.
“We love the cards, we love all the different gifts, the mugs, the glasses, the plush dolls and animals and stuff. And we also love the fact that there are faith-based gifts and items available through Hallmark. And we take advantage of as much of that as we can. We’ve got dolls of Jesus, Mary, and Noah and the Ark as an example. And then of course, they’ve got a lot of Disney. We love all the stuff that we do with Hallmark, and we’re glad to be able to do it. We have a lot of fun,” Jackson stated.
Hallmark offers seasonal items for most every holiday like Easter and Halloween, and the Christmas season starts early every year.
“Christmas with Hallmark is easily six months out of the year, starting with the Keepsake Ornament Premiere in July and the Keepsake Ornament Debut in October. The Holiday Open House is in November, and the Tis the Season event occurs in December. The Hallmark Keepsake dream book comes out in April each year, so I have customers that come in at that time wanting the free dream book. Many have collected lots of the series of ornaments, whether they started it way back, some of them in the 1970s and 1980s, and they continue that with their children, and with their grandchildren. They start coming in early and giving me their wish lists so that I can fill those throughout the year as I have the opportunity to order more ornaments,” Wombacher said.
Wombacher keeps a running list of everybody’s ornament wishes. And as she gets them, she will call them and let them know their ornament is here.
“Some of the customers that come in faithfully were so pleased when Mark and Ann opened the Gold Crown Store here in Red Oak again. They didn’t have to travel to the big city. They can come in and get that one-on-one service,” Wombacher advised.
Wombacher added the store gets visitors from all over, in part because the stock in Red Oak’s Hallmark store lasts a bit longer than in the big city, but also because they have connections to Red Oak.
“They may have a son or a daughter that lives there, or maybe they’ve moved elsewhere, but they still have that connection to Red Oak. They know that they can come to a small town, they don’t have to drive to the city and fight the traffic or the big crowds. They can come into Mark Jackson’s Red Oak Hardware Hank and Hallmark Gold Crown Store and get the small-town service that they like,” stated Wombacher.
Every year, Wombacher said Hallmark offers hundreds of choices for people to find the perfect ornament for their tree.
“At the premiere, I believe there were over 250 ornaments that premiered, and then at the debut, I think there were around 150 more ornaments added to the Keepsake Ornament wall.  We have the biggest wall that you can possibly get of the keepsake ornaments. If you go to the city, you’re not going to see more or different keepsake ornaments. We have 28 feet worth of wall space for our ornaments. You will see the exact same ornaments here as you can see in any other large Hallmark store,” Wombacher commented.
Also, if you live in a small space or only have room for a small tree, Wombacher said Hallmark has you covered. 
“We have mini ornaments, and we sell mini trees, and the toppers, and mini tree skirts. There is a specific line of the mini keepsake ornaments for those little trees. My dad has a small place, and that mini tree would be perfect for him. He would be able to get the new mini ornaments, whether it’s just the little glass ball ornaments or something specific to his likes or his hobbies,” Wombacher explained.
In addition to boasting a large selection, Wombacher said they will help out if there’s something specific to the wish book that isn’t in Red Oak’s stock.
“Customers can come in and tell me what specific ornament they are looking for, and I will bend over backwards and do everything I can possibly do to get that ornament for them,” Wombacher said.
It’s a special feeling, Wombacher said, to be able to bring excitement to the many people who frequent the store by getting their favorite ornament.
“It makes me feel wonderful knowing that it is something that is important to them, or maybe for a granddaughter who has wanted that ornament, or a son or daughter who has wanted that ornament. Some of our customers come in, and they’ll say, ‘oh, my daughter has been wanting this, and they’ll open up the book, which they’ve already given to their family to look through and they’ll have the ornaments they want circled, and they’ll pass me the book and we’ll get those ornaments for them. It’s a good feeling to be able to fulfill those wishes, whether it’s for grandma or mom or grandson, granddaughter,” stated Wombacher.
While there are plenty of ornaments of cars, movie, television, or animated characters, athletes, and pop culture items, there are also a number of ornaments that will light up and play music or have dialogue. Additionally, Hallmark offers storytelling ornaments, which are a set of ornaments connected electronically that can replay scenes from a favorite film, such as “Harry Potter.” There are even ornaments for special occasions, such as a new home, an anniversary, first Christmas as a couple, and even for a child that has gotten their first driver’s license. Wombacher encourages every customer to feel free to see what the ornaments can do.
“You can look in the dream book, but it doesn’t always tell the entire story. I always encourage the customers to push the buttons and see what they do and what they sound like,” commented Wombacher.
While there are plenty of new ornaments for 2024, Wombacher said they also keep a large selection of ornaments from previous years.
“We always have some carryover ornaments from previous years, which we have out and on sale. The 2023 ornaments are buy one, get one free, We also have ornaments from 2022 and back, from the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s, which are in our 50% off and more store up on the third floor. Those are 75% off,” Wombacher explained. “If customers have been collecting a series, and maybe they missed a year, they can come in and go upstairs to the third floor and look through all of the ornaments. And, you know what, sometimes we have that ornament that they were missing in their series.”
The Hallmark Gold Crown Store is open Monday through Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5. Anyone with questions can call the store and speak to Wombacher directly, or they can talk to any of the employees, and if they can’t answer the customer’s question, they’ll have Wombacher get in touch with them.