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Tuesday 8:30am - 3:30pm Wednesday 8:30am - 3:30pm Thursday 8:30am - 3:30pm

Dunes Dermatology Onawa, 1015 8th Street, Onawa, IA (2026)

03/03/2026

We are celebrating Women’s History Month! Honoring strong women as a reminder that when women support, lead, and uplift one another, entire communities grow stronger.

03/02/2026

The Key That Waited

We found this old iron key hanging on a single nail in the basement.

Not buried in dirt.
Not tossed aside.
Not lost.

Hung.

As if someone slipped it there at the end of a long day and expected to return in the morning.

The rust tells us it has been there for decades. The stillness around it felt almost sacred — untouched, suspended in time.

Keys like this weren’t decorative. They were purposeful. Solid iron. Hand-shaped. Meant to protect something that mattered — a storeroom, a ledger cabinet, a cellar door, a place where value was kept safe.

And yet at some point, the door it opened was closed for the last time.

But the key remained.

There is something deeply symbolic about uncovering it now — as we restore this building for a new season.

Keys represent access.
Responsibility.
Trust.
Stewardship.

They also represent beginnings.

You don’t hold a key unless you intend to open something.

As we prepare to open this space again for our community, it feels fitting that we found this quiet reminder waiting below. Almost as if the building itself was saying:

“It’s time.”

Time to unlock something new.
Time to open doors for healing.
Time to create a place where people feel cared for, welcomed, and known.

This key once protected what mattered in its time.

Now we hold the keys to what comes next.

And we are deeply hopeful about what those doors will open for our community. 🤍

03/02/2026

We can’t beleieve we have this! It ties everything to the very begining!

Tool Repaired by Hand — and By Heart

When we first uncovered this trowel beneath the front half of the building, we assumed it was simply a construction tool left behind.

But then we really looked at the handle.

It isn’t uniform. It isn’t perfectly turned. It isn’t polished in the way mass-produced handles were — even in the early 1900s.

This one looks shaped.
Carved.
Repurposed.

Perhaps the original handle broke.
Perhaps the craftsman couldn’t afford a new tool.
Perhaps he simply believed in fixing what still had life in it.

So he made one.

You can see the subtle tapering, the uneven grain, the hand-cut shoulder where wood meets metal. It feels less like something purchased… and more like something made to keep working.

That detail changes everything.

This isn’t just a trowel that built walls.
It’s a trowel that was repaired so the work could continue.

And that says something about the kind of people who built this place.

Resourceful.
Practical.
Determined.
Proud enough of their craft to mend their tools instead of discarding them.

It likely spread mortar that still holds these bricks together today. It helped lay the literal foundation of every chapter that followed — from early commerce to Doc Samson’s optical clinic, and now to what we are building.

There’s something deeply fitting about uncovering it now.

We’re restoring.
They were repairing.

Different seasons.
Same spirit.

And sometimes the building reminds us —
Legacy isn’t just in the walls.
It’s in the hands that shaped them.

02/20/2026

Front Façade Update — Strengthening the Foundation of the Future

We’ve had several people ask what’s happening at the front of the building — and it’s an important one.

During renovation, we discovered that the original load-bearing beam across the storefront had significant sagging. This beam has been carrying the weight of that beautiful historic brick façade for decades. To protect the integrity of the building (and everyone inside it), replacement wasn’t optional — it was necessary.

The old beam has now been carefully removed and replaced with a new engineered load-bearing beam designed to properly support the structure for generations to come.

You can see in these photos the temporary bracing that held everything safely in place while the transition happened. It’s one of those behind-the-scenes structural updates that most people will never notice when we’re finished… but it’s absolutely critical to preserving this historic building.

At the same time, we’re moving forward with installing new UV-protected glass in the storefront. The updated glazing will:
• Protect interior finishes and furnishings
• Improve energy efficiency
• Allow beautiful natural light in while filtering harmful rays

This phase may not look glamorous — but this is the work that ensures longevity. We’re not just remodeling a storefront. We’re reinforcing a piece of our downtown’s history so it can stand strong well into the future.

Every beam, every brick, every decision is made with care.

More progress soon. 🤍

02/19/2026

Honoring a Legacy: Dr. William “Doc” Samson

As we continue the renovation of this building, we are constantly reminded that we are not the first to care for this community within these walls.

Long before us, Dr. William “Doc” Samson devoted decades of his life to the people of Onawa. Beginning in the 1950s — following in the footsteps of his father — Doc carried forward a family tradition of optometry and service. Together, the Samson family became the longest stewards of this building, shaping not only its purpose, but its place in the heart of our town.

Doc wasn’t simply an optometrist. He was a lifelong resident. A business leader. A past Chamber of Commerce president. A steady presence in local commerce and community life. He believed in Onawa — in building things up, in raising a family here, in investing time and care where it mattered most.

The photos of him in his exam room with his daughters speak volumes. A father, a mentor, a physician who allowed his family to be part of his work. And the image of him standing proudly beside his wife in front of this very storefront — the one we are now restoring — feels like a full circle moment.

As we remodel this space, we do so with deep respect for what came before us. Every wall opened, every floor leveled, every design choice made carries the quiet understanding that we are continuing a story — not starting one.

Doc Samson built more than a practice here.
He built trust.
He built relationships.
He built legacy.

We are honored to carry that forward.

With gratitude for the past, and hope for the future. 🤍

02/15/2026

🎄✨ Christmas on Main Street — 1970s Edition ✨🎄

This one is personal and may be recognizable…

Before LED lights and inflatable Santas…
Before online shopping and Amazon trucks…

There were big red bulbs.

Thick green cords strung carefully along brick storefronts.
Glass ornaments catching the glow of warm yellow C9 lights.
Plastic wreaths wired by hand and hung proudly in windows.

You could walk down Main Street in December and feel it —
The hum of community.
The smell of snow and wool coats.
The sound of a doorbell chiming as neighbors stepped inside.

Our building remembers those years.

It remembers when someone carefully unpacked these oversized bulbs — likely during the years Doc Samson ran his optical clinic here in the 1970s.
When a ladder was leaned against the storefront.
When someone — probably cold and smiling — plugged in the lights and stepped back to admire their work.

These decorations weren’t fancy.
They were sturdy.
Practical.
Made to be used again next year… and the year after that.

Just like small-town businesses.
Just like families.
Just like community.

As we continue restoring this space for Dunes Dermatology, we’re reminded that this building has always been about care — in different ways, in different seasons.

Pharmacy counters.
Soda fountain stools.
Doc Samson’s optical clinic.
Holiday window displays.
Now skincare, healing, and confidence.

But the heart remains the same.

A place where people gather.
A place that glows in winter.
A place that belongs to the community.

Here’s to the 70s Main Street Christmases.
And to carrying that same warmth forward. 🤍✨

02/13/2026

Your skin carries you through every season of life. It deserves care that does the same.

At Dunes Dermatology, we treat skin cancers, autoimmune conditions, acne, rashes, and chronic diseases that impact your health.

And we also love helping you build individualized skincare routines designed specifically for your skin — your age, your goals, your lifestyle.

Together — mother and daughter — we combine experience, precision, and a shared passion for helping you:

Age well.
Look your best.
Feel confident in your own skin.

Healthy skin isn’t about chasing trends.
It’s about prevention, protection, and thoughtful care that evolves with you.

Schedule your consult and let’s build your plan. 🤍

02/13/2026

✨ Another Piece of the Story ✨

The research can take awhile…and there’s more to come!

One of our recent finds may be one of the most telling yet.

This early 1900s bottle — dated approximately 1905–1920 based on its glass manufacturing — still carries remnants of its original paper label. After enhancing the lettering, we can make out what most likely reads:

“Compound Coffee Syrup
Fluid Acid Phosphate”

In the early 20th century, preparations like this were commonly used in pharmacies and soda fountains. Coffee-based syrups were stimulant tonics — often used for fatigue, headaches, digestive complaints, and “nervous exhaustion.”

Acid phosphates were especially popular during the soda fountain era. Pharmacists would mix flavored syrups with acid phosphate and carbonated water to create refreshing drinks that were believed to have medicinal benefits. Before modern pharmaceuticals, this is how many remedies were dispensed — over the counter, mixed by hand, often right in front of the customer.

This bottle’s wide mouth and thick base suggest it likely sat behind a pharmacy counter — used repeatedly for compounding and dispensing rather than sold as a retail bottle.

When we pair this with our other medical and soda fountain finds, it paints an increasingly clear picture:

🧪 This building most likely once housed an early pharmacy.
🥤 And very likely a soda fountain as well.

Medicine wasn’t just practiced here — it was mixed, poured, and served.

There is something incredibly meaningful about uncovering evidence that healing has always lived within these walls. Long before Dunes Dermatology, this space cared for the people of our community.

And now, over a century later… it will again. 🤍

02/11/2026

Beneath the Floorboards: A Taste of Early Medicine

We love this find!

Tucked beneath the original floorboards of this building, we uncovered the base of a glass syrup bottle embossed:

J. Hungerford Smith Co. – Rochester, N.Y.

Founded in the late 1800s, the J. Hungerford Smith Co. became one of America’s leading manufacturers of soda fountain syrups, root beer concentrates, fruit flavorings, and pharmaceutical flavor bases.
From roughly the 1890s through the early 20th century, and especially between 1905–1925, their heavy embossed bottles were shipped nationwide to drugstores and soda fountains.

At the turn of the century, pharmacies were more than dispensaries — they were gathering places. Behind polished counters stood apothecary jars, tonics, extracts, and soda fountain taps. A pharmacist might mix a medicinal tonic in the morning and serve a root beer float in the afternoon. Syrups from companies like J. Hungerford Smith helped flavor remedies, soothe stomachs, and create small joys in everyday life.

This bottle, likely produced between 1910 and 1920, would have sat behind a counter somewhere — perhaps in a local drugstore, perhaps just down the block — part of an era when medicine and community shared the same space.

Now, more than a century later, it rests again within these walls as we build a new medical practice.

Once, this address may have served comfort in a glass.
Today, it serves care in a different form.

The tools have changed.
The heart of service has not.

02/10/2026

And yet again….our building keeps giving. We like this one for giving us more pieces of Onawa’s story.

Hidden beneath our floorboards for over 100 years…

During renovation this week, we uncovered this heavy embossed glass bottle tucked down in the dirt below the original floor joists.

It reads: Sears – Onawa, Iowa – Distilled.

Our research found that in the early 1900s, small towns like Onawa had their own local bottlers and “distillers” — family-run operations that made soda water, mineral tonics, ginger ale, and other everyday drinks. Bottles were thick, sturdy, and reused again and again, often stamped with the town name because they rarely traveled far from home.

This one likely dates to around 1905–1915.

We imagine it may have belonged to a shopkeeper, a worker, or someone helping build this very space… maybe set down between the joists during construction, maybe dropped by accident — and then quietly sealed beneath the floor as the years passed.

And there it stayed.

Through decades.
Through different businesses.
Through generations.

Just waiting.

Waiting for the day we’d open these floors and find it again.

There’s something really special about that — knowing this building has always served the community in one way or another, long before it became Dunes Dermatology.

A small bottle.
A small moment in time.
A beautiful reminder that history lives right beneath our feet. 🤍

02/06/2026

💡 While removing layers of the ceiling, we uncovered what appears to be one of the building’s original light mounts — a small reminder of when this space first transitioned to electricity over 100 years ago. So we are basically seeing a time capsule of the building’s first lighting system. Every renovation reveals another piece of its story.

02/06/2026

✨ Behind the walls at Dunes Dermatology… big progress happening this week ✨

Not every part of a remodel is pretty — but every part is important.

This week we’ve been doing some of the foundational work that will make this old building safer, stronger, and ready to care for patients for decades to come.

🪟 A few of the original windows are being closed in so we can create more private patient rooms and better clinical flow
🪵 The old, uneven floors are coming out so we can install a level, stable foundation
🧱 Brick, joists, and 100+ years of history are being uncovered along the way

It’s amazing to see what’s been hiding beneath the surface all these years.

Every board we lift and every wall we rebuild is part of the same goal:
preserving the character of this historic space while creating a comfortable, safe place to care for our community.

Sometimes progress looks like dust, ladders, and scaffolding… but it’s all leading to something beautiful. 🤍

Thank you for following along and cheering us on — we can’t wait to welcome you inside when it’s ready.

Dunes Dermatology Onawa

03/03/2026

03/02/2026

03/02/2026

02/20/2026

02/19/2026

02/15/2026

02/13/2026

02/13/2026

02/11/2026

02/10/2026

02/06/2026

02/06/2026

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Tuesday	8:30am - 3:30pm
Wednesday	8:30am - 3:30pm
Thursday	8:30am - 3:30pm