There is a new business in town and it’s providing a mix of services.
The Phone Shoppe is a cell phone store, which provides nationwide prepaid cellular plans through Page Plus.
Located at 110 East St., it is owned and operated by Iola newcomer Danny Brown.
Brown also wears another hat. He is a bail bondsman and plans to open a bail bonds office at the same location with a large wall separating the two businesses.
Brown, who has been a bail bondsman for seven years, has already been providing bond services in Allen County.
“I have certain rules about who I will bond,” Brown said.
Brown is originally from Buffalo, Mo. and has been in Iola only since January. He decided to open a cell phone service business here after a friend introduced him to the business.
“It’s a good way to help people save money,” Brown said. “I switched two years ago. It saves a lot of money.”
The Phone Shoppe offers plans from as low as $12 and up to $69 a month. There is no credit check and no contract.
A customer buys a phone and pays a monthly charge to keep the phone on. Customers can keep existing phone numbers and if they have a Verizon phone they don’t have to buy a new phone.
The phone plans include talk, text and data plans.
When he arrived in Iola Brown said he was surprised to find that there weren’t any bail bond offices being advertised.
Soon he will have both businesses up and running but said “getting everything started at once is hard.”
Also surprising Brown was Iola’s activity and economy.
“I am impressed to see how busy the square is,” Brown said.
Brown said where he is from businesses have shut down and there isn’t much opportunity for employment.
For more information contact brown at (620) 380-6181.
New business brings variety to Iola
