Middlebrook Mercantile opens in Cumming, offering Oregon wines off the Great Western Trail

Skip the books, sip some wine; a 122-year-old schoolhouse in Cumming just got new tenants. 

Middlebrook Mercantile — a wine bar, general store and event space — opened in mid-May in Middlebrook, Iowa's first agrihood, located in Cumming.

A schoolhouse, built in 1900, houses the mercantile, a building where former Iowa U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin once attended classes. The school closed in 1969 and has been home to several restaurants since.

Sitting at 4125 Cumming Ave., Cumming, the mercantile also connects to a bike path that leads to the 19-mile Great Western Trail that links Des Moines and Martensdale.

Walking inside, customers face 16 windows, four on each wall, letting in a stunning amount of natural light from every angle. On one side of the building sits a patio for snacking or sipping, and on the other side, a beer garden is being developed, set to open toward the end of summer.

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Robert Wilke, general manager of the mercantile, said the store primarily sells Iowa goods including grab-and-go salads and hummus from Des Moines-based Grateful Chef and charcuterie from the Grazing Table. 

"A lot of the items are stalwarts at every farmer's market," Wilke said. "We try to keep it as local as possible."

Snacks, towels and dish cloths, rugs, puzzles and charcuterie supplies including cheese boards are all for sale. 

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And don't forget the bottles and bottles of wine. 

Wilke said the mercantile sells exclusive labels from Windhorse Vineyard and Wheatfield Vines in Oregon.

"We can find the right wine for people, but my favorite part is the discovery," Wilke said. "It makes wine a lot more fun when you find a wine you like that you didn't know you liked. I want to talk about wine but if you're stuck in your ways... I will still try. I will do everything I can to get you to try a different pinot."

The mercantile was originally envisioned as a brewery, but according to Steve Bruere,  president of the People's Co. and a developer with Diligent Development leading the Middlebrook community project, the entire agrihood has evolved. 

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The agrihood, a planned community that combines agriculture with residential and commercial buildings, has grown from 540 acres in 2019 to 900 acres today, all centered around a working farm and community gardens.

Bruere said while the mercantile is the first commercial business in Middlebrook, others will be coming with development underway.

"People want a sense of community. They want a sense of place. They want to feel like they belong to something and that there's amenities," Bruere said. "Our development is centered around creating that connectivity for the community and having community programs and events."

Throughout the summer the mercantile hosts live music and food truck vendors. The space can also be rented out for private events such as baby showers, retirement parties or bridal showers. Bruere and Wilke hope the wine bar and general store will evolve into a gathering hub of the community. 

"We had a big investment in the land surrounding it and we wanted to make sure we're proud of what went in here," Bruere said. "We wanted to make it something special and showcase some of the things that we're doing out here."

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Middlebrook Mercantile

Address: 4125 Cumming Ave., Cumming

Hours: Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Hours may vary.

Contact: 515-981-0494

Hannah Rodriguez covers retail for the Des Moines Register. Reach her at herodriguez@registermedia.com or on Twitter @byherodriguez.