OKOBOJI, Iowa | The Barn Swallow Gift Shop swooped into a new location some twenty-odd years ago, and the store owner started her kitten-saving campaign almost immediately after making the move.
Lori Thomas has a soft spot for the purring pets, and she’s doing her part to educate the public and prevent animal cruelty. One corner of her Okoboji store serves as a short-term shelter for unwanted and abandoned cats, waiting for someone to take them home.
“I just try to help,” Thomas said. “I’m not making money selling kittens.”
The felines can be found among a maze of novelty items, wall art, home décor, books, clocks, greeting cards and clothes.
Just follow the signs.
Go down one set of steps, up another – walk past the “Okoboji” souvenir section, take a left, then a quick right and look for a short hallway filled with sandals and scarves, among other knickknacks.
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You’re on the right track if you find a sign taped to one of the steps that says, “Adorable and healthy kitties for adoption (wild mothers have been spayed) caged in wood floor room.”
If all else fails, follow the faint smell of kitty litter and kibble.
A few felines can usually be seen lurking behind a screen door with a blue wood frame.
Sharon Mulliken and Theresa Witt, both from Omaha, didn’t see any kittens in the den on a rainy Saturday afternoon, but they found plenty of other items to suit their fancy.
“I started back here,” Mulliken called to her friend. “And then I got sidetracked.”
It’s easy to do.
Thomas makes use of every inch of the space, covering walls with canvasses and organizing items into cohesive collections.
If you think you’ve seen it all, just look up and there’s more.
In one of the rooms, an ornate chandelier hangs from the ceiling, right above a rack of tunics and button-down shirts. A few random pieces of luggage are stored on the top shelves. In another room, jewelry dangles from a wooden rack, which is seemingly floating down from the ceiling.
“I love it,” Mulliken said. “She’s just got such an eclectic collection.”
It all started in 1977. Thomas ran a little gift shop in one of Okoboji’s motels.
“It wasn’t your typical gift shop,” she said. “I never sold toothpaste.”
Then, as now, Thomas did her best to artfully display everything.
When a plot of land along Highway 71 came for sale, she jumped at the chance to expand her inventory. She’s filled every square foot of her custom-built shop.
Thomas uses her background in interior design to showcase all of the hand-picked items that she stocks. She usually starts with one piece of wall art, picking from more than 200 prints, and color coordinates other home accessories around it.
“The canvas prints are one of my favorites and a specialty,” Thomas said. “They’re just very classy.”
After wandering through the main level, don’t forget to check out the “bargain basement” or the second floor that’s filled with children’s books and toys, plus Halloween and Christmas items tucked away in two separate rooms. More seasonal décor can be found sprinkled throughout the store.
“There’s something new around every corner,” Witt said. “It’s fun.”
As for the felines, Thomas expects to have more in the store throughout the summer.
She’s been taking in strays for years, and she has no plans to stop. Plus, she helps People For Pets, the animal adoption center in Spencer, Iowa, by housing cats and kittens in the gift shop.
There’s just one rule: any animals that leave the Barn Swallow must be spayed or neutered.
“It’s just a statement I have,” she said.
