While University of Northern Iowa students have been working summer jobs, traveling abroad and taking summer classes, entrepreneurs have been setting up new businesses in the Cedar Falls area. Whether it’s food, fashion or fun, Main Street and College Hill have something new to offer returning students.

Here’s What’s Poppin’

Jenny Bagenstos, owner of Here’s What’s Poppin’, says her family has always liked gourmet popcorn. After a family trip to Tennessee, Bagenstos decided to open her own gourmet popcorn shop on Main Street in Cedar Falls.

Exposed brick walls and an aroma of freshly popped corn greet customers as they walk through the front doors.

“We offer a variety of flavors and we’re a family fun place,” said Bagenstos. The shop offers twenty different flavors every day, and these flavors change daily.

To add some fun to the shop, each flavor is named after a song. Some of these flavors are “Orange Colored Sky” (cheddar), “Hungry Like a Wolf” (maple bacon) and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” (rainbow).

Hours:

Monday-Wednesday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Thursday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Sunday 12-3 p.m.

Bani’s

Bani’s is a recently-opened convenience store on Main Street in Cedar Falls. Offering products such as pop, liquor and snacks, owner Bani Wahidy said there was a “demand here for a convenience store.”

Wahidy said the store’s motto is “we don’t make customers, we make friends.” A second Bani’s has been opened in Waverly as well.

“Bani’s is the name of friendship,” said Wahidy.

Hours:

Monday-Friday 11 a.m. to midnight

Saturday-Sunday 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Salon Zola

Cedar Falls native Brooke Kolpek has opened a new hair salon on Main Street. A bright blue open-air entryway welcomes Main Street shoppers into the reception area of Salon Zola.

Kolpek said right now the salon simply does hair but is looking to possibly expand their services in the future. The salon accepts both appointments and walk-ins and anyone is welcome.

When asked why she chose to open a hair salon, Kolpek said, “It was always something I wanted to do, and I had an opportunity so I did it.”

Hours:

Tuesday – Wednesday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Uncle Harry’s 5 and Dime Tavern

Uncle Harry’s 5 and Dime Tavern opened in June. According to general manager Phil Adam, the store gets its name from the owner’s uncle, who passed away around the time the business was getting started. The “5 and Dime” part is a play on the old nickel and dime stores of the 1940s and 1950s, the decades the bar’s theme is based around.

Smooth, glossy dark wood gives a sleek yet rustic feel the runs the length of the new bar. Tables and booths sit tucked in against the walls to provide additional seating for patrons.

Uncle Harry’s 5 and Dime Tavern is for patrons 21 and older. Dollar bills covered in names are taped above the bar, something Adam says “just kinda started” happening after opening night.

Hours:

Monday-Friday 3 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Saturday-Sunday 12 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Masala Grill

Five months ago a new owner took over Masala Grill. Customers can now order online at www.masalagrilliacedarfalls.com and will receive $5 off their first online order if the order is $10 or more.

The restaurant brings a piece of Asian culture to College Hill and has “a variety of foods to choose from,” according to employee Saddaf Shokat.

Hours:

Sunday – Thursday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Friday – Saturday 10 a.m. to 12 a.m.

Social House

In April, Kyle Dehmlow opened Social House, which features both an indoor and rooftop bar. The bar is for people 21 years and up and features many different drinks and beers.12