NEWLY RELOCATED LIGHTHOUSE INCLUDES SALON, WEDDING RENTALS AND MORE

If you think of a lighthouse beckoning the seabound to a sheltered area ready to meet every need, you can think of newly relocated Waukon business The Lighthouse as a stop in the busy storm often surrounding wedding, reunions, open houses and other gift-giving occasions.
With a newly remodeled location in the former Waukon Carpet Center and the addition of New Look Hairstyling, business owners Kim Sylvester and Janine Wirth truly have something for everyone.
"It's really been a fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants kind of thing," says Wirth of the new business adventure. What started as a small operation featuring gifts and Michelle Watkins' former candlemaking products has expanded to provide an extensive package of services including home decor, gifts, wedding and other special occasion rental items and a full board of cosmetic services.
To begin with, the location underwent extensive renovation to suit new business needs. The ceiling was dropped, new sheetrock placed and the salon built. Wirth and Sylvester credit a variety of builders for their assistance in the project, including Richard Huntsmeier, Howard Kolsrud, Josh Baumgartner, Cunningham Hardware, West Side Lumber, and not to be forgotten, Wirth's husband, Jeff Wirth.
With such a large variety of services to offer, Wirth and Sylvester didn't have the luxury to linger over needed decisions. "Everything just went bing, bing, bing," they say. "We had so much to do and just didn't have time to contemplate too much."
To meet established customer needs, The Lighthouse has no plans of discontinuing already existing popular services. Homemade candles will still be available. To create them, the women melt their own wax, add a variety of fragrances, pour candles and wick jars by hand.
Gifts for every occasion will continue to be available, whether it be for a wedding, birthday, anniversary or holiday remembrance.
In purchasing the Carpet Center, Sylvester and Wirth acquired an inventory of home remodeling staples such as vinyl and ceramic tile, carpet, and, says Wirth, over 400 wallcovering books. The women plan to continue the business, with customers choosing the materials through them and then searching out their own installer.
New to The Lighthouse is an extensive collection of rental items for weddings, open houses or other special occasions. Customers may choose from indoor and outdoor items such as arches, gazebos, fern stands, helium balloons and birdcages. Table decoration options include lanterns, candelabras, flowing candles, and floral centerpieces. A variety of silks are available, in fact, not only to top tables, but to pin as corsages and carry as bouquets as well.
"We want to be a place," says Wirth, "where people can take care of many needs." Conceivably, an engaged couple could register for gifts, rent items for their reception, do their hair and decorate their new home, all in a one-stop shop.
The "hair" end of the business is held up by Sylvester, whose New Look Hairstyling offers a full line of services, including the standard, cuts, perms and colorations, as well as artificial nails and facial waxing.
Wedding party consultations are welcomed. Clients are encouraged to come in and visit with Sylvester over wedding details like dress choice, which often influences hair options. Sylvester prefers to demonstrate on the wedding parties' hair if possible, preparing both them and herself for the big day.
On the day of the ceremony, men often arrive for a quick cut and style. Sylvester will complete the women's hair and, if desired, follow them to the church in case she's needed for a quick fix.
Her operating salon has been fitted with new equipment in a series of black and white companion pieces. The look, set off by a black and white tiled floor, is both clean and cosmopolitan.
In the future, Wirth and Sylvester would enjoy working with other local businesses, providing a complete special occasion package for a variety of events. They mention connecting with caterers, photographers and wedding wear providers.
Right now, however, they are busy branching out, learning what's required of their different business avenues. And for the women who traveled all the way to Springfield, IL, on a mission to collect a load of aging but solid rod iron they could transform into lovely, desirable objects, anything seems possible.
The relocated Lighthouse may be found at 9 Allamakee Street in Waukon. Business hours currently run from Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The telephone number is (319) 568-0055.