The Iowa Store People Wish Would Come Back? It Wasn’t Even Close.

We recently asked Iowa Road Trip followers a simple question:

The one Iowa store I wish would come back is ______.

And the responses came pouring in.

Some people named old department stores. Others remembered grocery stores, dime stores, restaurants, buffets, pizza places, mall favorites, and small-town shops that have been gone for years.

This is not a scientific poll. It’s simply based on responses from Iowa Road Trip followers on Facebook. But even with that said, one answer clearly stood above the rest.

Younkers dominated the list

The most-mentioned store was Younkers — and it wasn’t even close.

Followers mentioned Younkers 189 times, far more than any other store on the list. Kmart came in second with 68 mentions, followed by Ben Franklin, Sears, Paul’s, and Gordmans.

For many Iowans, Younkers wasn’t just a place to shop. It was part of growing up in Iowa.

People remembered the downtown Des Moines store, the Christmas windows, the Tea Room, the escalators, the sales, the clothes, the feeling of going somewhere special, and the way Younkers anchored malls and downtown shopping districts across the state.

A short history of Younkers in Iowa

Younkers traces its roots back to 1856, when the Younker brothers opened a general store in Keokuk, Iowa. The company later shifted its base to Des Moines, where Younkers became one of the most recognizable retail names in the state.

The downtown Des Moines store became especially beloved. It was more than a department store — it was a gathering place. Generations of Iowans remember shopping there, eating in the Tea Room, riding the escalator, or visiting during the holidays to see the Christmas displays.

The downtown Des Moines Younkers closed in 2005. The remaining Younkers stores eventually disappeared after parent company Bon-Ton liquidated in 2018.

But based on these responses, the memories are still very much alive.

Top 20 Iowa stores people wish would come back

Here are the most-mentioned stores and restaurants from Iowa Road Trip followers:

Rank	Store / Place	Mentions
1	Younkers	189
2	Kmart	68
3	Ben Franklin	45
4	Sears	37
5	Paul’s	31
6	Gordmans	29
7	Pamida	18
8	Shopko	16
9	Woolworth	15
9	Dahl’s	15
11	Jack’s	14
12	Bishop’s Buffet	13
12	Armstrong’s	13
14	Siefert’s / Seifert’s	10
15	JCPenney	8
16	Spurgeon’s	7
16	Walsh’s	7
18	Montgomery Ward	6
18	Maid-Rite	6
18	Toys R Us	6
18	Radio Shack	6
18	K’s Merchandise	6
18	JoAnn Fabrics	6

Because several places tied at the bottom of the list, we included everyone with six mentions instead of cutting the list off at exactly 20.

Other names that brought back memories

Several other places showed up multiple times, including:

• Pier 1 Imports
• Eagle Grocery
• Western Auto
• Coast to Coast
• Ryan’s Buffet
• Hinky Dinky
• ALCO
• Country Kitchen
• Herberger’s
• Shakey’s Pizza
• Venture
• Blockbuster
• Payless Shoes
• Christopher & Banks
• Happy Joe’s
• Bonanza
• Gambles
• Gibson’s
• TG&Y
• A&P

And beyond the big names, there were dozens of small-town stores, cafes, bakeries, hardware stores, supper clubs, and grocery stores that clearly still mean something to the people who grew up with them.

What the results say about Iowa nostalgia

The responses were not just about shopping.

They were about memories.

People remembered getting dressed up to go downtown. They remembered lunch counters and buffets. They remembered walking through malls when the stores were full. They remembered Christmas displays, school shopping, toy aisles, fabric counters, catalog shopping, and local stores where the employees knew your name.

That may be why Younkers struck such a nerve. For a lot of Iowans, it represented an era when shopping felt more personal — and when a trip to the department store could feel like an event.

What Iowa store do you miss most?

Did your favorite make the list?

Or is there another Iowa store, restaurant, grocery store, or small-town business you still wish would come back?

Let us know in the comments.