Swanky Marion Shop Recognized as Small Business Success Story

The beer and wine selection are fine, but apparently the business model is finer at Ramsey's Metro Market in Marion.

Ramsey's is a swanky beer and wine bar that also offers some specialty products such as meats and cheeses. It's nestled in Marion's uptown. Ramsey's got a nod from the Iowa Small Business Development Center at Kirkwood Community College as a small business success story.

Perhaps the best news in all of this is for us. Ramsey's could expand in the next few years with a high-end steak and fish restaurant, possibly nearby the uptown location.

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Ramsey’s Metro Market opened with one full-time and one part-time employee. After 21 months, it had two full-time and five part-time people. The business has experienced a 25 percent growth from its first year to its second one. Conrad anticipates a further growth of 10 to 15 percent for 2013. Conrad’s five year vision is to open a high-end steak and fish restaurant possibly near The Market’s current location, and at the same time, open another wine, meat, and cheese store in either Cedar Rapids or Hiawatha.

The owner Conrad Ramsey received help from the Iowa Small Business Development Center "in optimizing his business plan, comparing possible locations, and finding financing so he could open his unique wine bar."

According to the write up, Ramsey initially had his sites set on an old Jiffy Lube location for his business, but working with the Small Business Development Center, and specifically Al Beach, he reassessed and selected a more cost-effective and suitable location.

The location was convenient with plentiful parking; however, the building would need a total—and expensive—renovation to be suitable for a food-based establishment.

Conrad did not consider these obstacles as deal-breakers. Indeed, he planned to move forward with the purchase. Yet, he does not hesitate today to admit that what he did not recognize at the time—the cost of buying and renovating the Jiffy Lube site—would most likely have made it impossible for his new business to succeed. 

Check out more about Ramsey's, by clicking here to go to the website. 

And, here's a profile we wrote a while back: Reviving Marion's Uptown: Ramsey's Metro Market