Council Approves $200,000 Grant for La Mie
Des Moines funds the bakery's move from a downtown skywalk to street-level space in the Griffin Building.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Openings & Closings
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The Des Moines City Council approved a $200,000 Restore the Core grant to La Mie on Monday. The bakery is relocating its Two Ruan Center location to street-level space in the Griffin Building.
Why it matters
The lease at Two Ruan Center was terminated because construction is converting the building to residential units. The award is the first from the Restore the Core program, a $7 million city initiative.
The $200,000 award is a dollar-for-dollar matching grant from a $7 million program, requiring at least $50,000 in eligible project expenses. Commercial kitchen renovations account for $170,000 of roughly $430,000 in total improvements.
The players
La Mie
A Des Moines bakery that operates a skywalk location at Two Ruan Center and a location on 42nd Street.
Des Moines City Council
The governing body of Iowa's capital city, which approved the grant and its policy exception.
The details
The council made an exception to the Restore the Core policy for La Mie, which is funded from the Metro Center Urban Renewal Area Fund as a one-time expenditure. The Griffin Building is covered by a development agreement with the city, and Councilman Mike Simonson abstained from the vote.
Timeline
Monday: City Council approved the Restore the Core grant to La Mie.
Market Landscape
The Restore the Core program is a $7 million city initiative to support downtown redevelopment through matching grants. The La Mie award is the program's first and comes with a policy exception for a business displaced by residential conversion.
Customers of La Mie's downtown skywalk location will need to visit the Griffin Building storefront instead once the move is complete. The bakery's 42nd Street location is not affected by the relocation.
The takeaway
Downtown business relocations driven by residential conversion can be partly offset by targeted public funding, though such exceptions depend on council approval. Business owners facing lease terminations should check whether local redevelopment grants are available.
Further reading
For more on local business changes, see Openings & Closings in Des Moines.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Business Record.
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