On the corner of 9th and Cherry in downtown Des Moines, owner Don Short has spent his career restoring old buildings, having personally renovated 27 houses across Marshalltown and Des Moines, including Marshalltown’s historic Willard Mansion, now a popular event venue in its own right. That renovation background is what led to West End Architectural Salvage, which Don launched after his team salvaged two houses along Grand Avenue in Des Moines and turned the leftover materials into a pair of unexpectedly successful weekend tag sales. The business started in a smaller storefront a few blocks away before Don found and purchased the 50,000-square-foot warehouse at 22 9th Street, drawn by its layout and scale.
That warehouse now holds four full floors of home decor, salvaged architectural pieces, vintage toys and signs, reclaimed building materials, custom-built furniture, and upcycled accessories, an inventory large enough and eclectic enough that even self-described antique skeptics say they can’t pass through Des Moines without stopping in. The selection changes daily, drawing on Don’s team of pickers who continue sourcing salvage from old buildings, farms, and estates across the region, so browsing the same floor twice rarely turns up the same items. West End’s national profile grew substantially when the business starred in its own two-season HGTV series, West End Salvage, which followed Don and his crew of pickers, carpenters, and designers as they transformed old business signage, agricultural tools, and salvaged kitchen fixtures into one-of-a-kind pieces for customer renovation projects.
A coffee shop occupies part of the ground floor, serving drinks, pastries, and light food using tables and chairs that are themselves unique architectural salvage finds, giving visitors a place to pause during a long browse through the building’s four levels. The space also functions as an event venue, hosting weddings, bridal and baby showers, and holiday parties, including an annual Christmas gathering for local veterans, with staff repeatedly praised for going out of their way to make private events feel personal and well cared for.
West End keeps steady weekday and weekend hours, open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Don himself is frequently singled out by name in reviews as warm, generous with his time, and genuinely enthusiastic about helping customers, whether they’re hunting a specific salvaged door for a home renovation or simply wandering the building out of curiosity.
For anyone in Des Moines looking to furnish a home with genuine architectural history, or simply spend an afternoon exploring four floors of salvaged treasures over a good cup of coffee, West End Architectural Salvage offers one of the city’s most distinctive destinations. West End Architectural Salvage is a four-floor, 50,000-square-foot architectural salvage warehouse and coffee shop in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, owned by Don Short and previously featured in HGTV’s West End Salvage.
