*** update *** Due to inclement weather the shop will not be open in person today, you can support us for Small Biz Saturday online or come see us at the next event. The Holiday market for Mainframe is now moved to 12/13

We’ll have the print shop open - located inside Mainframe Studios, on the first level #120. Come shop small with us, snag some letterpress goodness for your holiday gifting!

Join us on Saturday, November 29th from 11am -3pm for Small Business Saturday!

50+ studios will be open for holiday shopping. Find a gift for a loved one, or yourself!

Bites & Drinks from Reyes Tamales, Mama Africa, & Lee Ty Delights will be available!

See you there!

Saturday, November 29th 2025
11:00 AM - 3:00pm
Mainframe Studios
900 Keosauqua Way
Des Moines, IA 50309

The Red Door Press will be located at Big Grove!

Join us holiday season in downtown Des Moines to shop 30 makers with a drink in hand!

Find vendors, drinks and food at all of these fun locations!

Big Grove Brewery & Taproom
555 17th St
Des Moines, IA 50309

Lua Brewing
1525 High St
Des Moines, IA 50309

Exile Brewing Co
1514 Walnut St
Des Moines, IA 50309

Products will be a wide variety of handmade goods such as woodworking, original art, jewelry, knit goods, home decor, metal working, prints, soap, paintings, candles and so much more!

No MLM or direct sales will be present.

This event is FREE to attend! You only pay for the items you wish to purchase and the drinks you want to consume.

​This is a family friendly event, however please note alcohol will be present due to the nature of the venues.

If you are 21 or older and choose to drink, please drink responsibly

Join us at Mainframe Studios on November 7, 2025, from 5-8 pm for First Friday!

Come join us in our print shop, The Red Door Press located in studio 120 on the First Floor

This month features: State of the Arts: Iowa’s Artist Fellows in partnership with the Iowa Arts Council, which is part of the Iowa Economic Development Authority.

Guests can enjoy a special exhibitions featuring works by Iowa Arts Council Fellows, open artist studios, live music, delicious food and drink options, and engaging entertainment across all five floors. Always free and open to the public.

With expanded overflow parking and free shuttle service, getting here is easy and convenient. First Fridays are a fun, accessible way to experience Des Moines’ vibrant creative community.

Stop in our print shop located on the first floor, studio 120. We’ll have the presses running from 5-8pm.

Other details for March’s First Friday:

Join us from 5-8pm this Friday, March 7th, to explore Mainframe's five floors of 181 open studios and artworks by youth artists in our special Des Moines Public Schools art exhibition. The night will feature works by Mainframe's 220 Creatives + special food, music, and art activities. Since First Fridays are free and open to the public, it's the perfect opportunity to come make a night of it with family and friends at Mainframe! Plus, we have free additional parking and shuttle service!

March's First Friday from 5-8pm will be an evening of art, food, drinks, & music celebrating creativity: 

• Lower Level // Explore the Oak Studio Teen Tech Center & glassblowing 

• Atrium // Tour displays of art from over 60 Des Moines elementary, middle school and high school students! 

• The Big Room //  Enjoy Food & Drinks by Tangerine Food Company, Reyes Tamales, and LeeTy Delights. Listen to music by Josue Barahona, paint with Siricasso, & buy cookies from Girl Scout Troop 311.  

• Studio 108 // Watch or join in free-style dancing brought to you by the Creative Netwerk. 

• 2nd Floor // Enjoy mocktails from Not Your Average Bar, view works in the Youth Art Exhibition, and tour open studios. 

• 3rd Floor // Enjoy Des Desserts by Mandi, check out new works by ISU Art Residents, Audrey Stirling & Isabel Wilson, plus explore studios of local creatives!

• 4th Floor // Grab a drink from Tangerine's bar, explore works in the Youth Art  Exhibition, and check out clay, mixed media and jewelry studios. 

Our dates for Beautiful Land Market:

• May, 7th - in Ames

• August, 6th - in Ames

• October 4th - in Ames

A carefully curated market featuring over 50 local makers, vintage collectors, food trucks & live music in the heart of Ames! Located at the Downtown Ames Fareway in Ames, Iowa.

Market located at the downtown Fareway at 619 Burnett Avenue, AMES, IA 50010.

Several downtown Ames & Main Street businesses will be open...come and enjoy a Sunday Funday in the historic district and downtown Ames!

FREE ADMISSION, FAMILY-FRIENDLY.

Hosted by Fareway

The Red Door Press is located on the First Floor in Studio 120 (with all the printing presses).

Join us on May 5th for a First Friday that you don't want to miss!

City Sounds, a nonprofit organization in Mainframe Studios, aims to transform community through music, animating spaces, and making artistic creation accessible to all.

Established in 2014, the City Sounds Public Piano Project continues to provide access to public pianos within the Greater Des Moines area. The City Sounds team commissions local artists to transform donated pianos into captivating works of art, which are then placed throughout our communities, providing interactive gathering spaces for music, friendship and collaboration.

This year's Season Opener will feature 10 painted pianos for the Public Piano Project, along with the artists that designed them in the atrium of Mainframe from 5-8 pm.

Join us on the 4th Floor Gallery for an exhibition of designer toys by Mainframe Artist Kyle Kirwan, Kyle Thye, Heather Hyatt, and BayKidDead (Beau Scott).

🍹: Tangerine Food Co

☕: Happy Home Coffee

🌮: Los Compadres Flaming Tacos, Taco Truck

🍮 + 🍰: Pasteleria Raquel (Raquel's Bakery)

https://facebook.com/events/s/first-friday-lets-play/779090863620846/

Join us at the Des Moines Downtown Farmers Market.  The Red Door Press booth can be found on 3rd Street, just south of Court Avenue - filled with great new letterpress goods to pick up all season long!

DOWNTOWN FARMERS' MARKET

From the first Saturday of May through the last Saturday of October, The Market brings urban and rural communities together, supporting nearly 300 vendors from across the state. Nourishing the community, The Market offers diverse products from locally grown produce to arts and craft and Iowa-raised meat – The Market has it all!

Produced by the Greater Des Moines Partnership, come experience local artists, live music and entertainment and unique learning opportunities all within Downtown Des Moines (DSM)!

Join us at the Des Moines Downtown Farmers Market.  The Red Door Press booth can be found on 3rd Street, just south of Court Avenue - filled with great new letterpress goods to pick up all season long!

DOWNTOWN FARMERS' MARKET

From the first Saturday of May through the last Saturday of October, The Market brings urban and rural communities together, supporting nearly 300 vendors from across the state. Nourishing the community, The Market offers diverse products from locally grown produce to arts and craft and Iowa-raised meat – The Market has it all!

Produced by the Greater Des Moines Partnership, come experience local artists, live music and entertainment and unique learning opportunities all within Downtown Des Moines (DSM)!

Come visit the print shop, at MainFrame Studios for July's First Friday!

Join us at the Des Moines Downtown Farmers Market.  The Red Door Press booth can be found on 3rd Street, just south of Court Avenue - filled with great new letterpress goods to pick up all season long!

DOWNTOWN FARMERS' MARKET

From the first Saturday of May through the last Saturday of October, The Market brings urban and rural communities together, supporting nearly 300 vendors from across the state. Nourishing the community, The Market offers diverse products from locally grown produce to arts and craft and Iowa-raised meat – The Market has it all!

Produced by the Greater Des Moines Partnership, come experience local artists, live music and entertainment and unique learning opportunities all within Downtown Des Moines (DSM)!

Join AIGA Iowa and The Red Door Press for an afternoon showing of Pressing On: The Letterpress Film at the Des Moines Art Center.

A panel including letterpress printers featured in the film will follow and attendees can visit Mainframe Studios for refreshments and a pop-up print show later that evening.

SCHEDULE

Pressing On: The Letterpress Film 2 - 4 pm | Levitt Auditorium, Des Moines Art Center

Film Panel 4 - 5 pm | Levitt Auditorium, Des Moines Art Center

After Party & Print Show 6 - 9 pm | Mainframe Studios, 900 Keosauqua Way Des Moines, IA 50309

RSVP (to attend film you must RSVP for a ticket, free to attend but there is limited seating)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pressing-on-the-letterpress-film-tickets-43145297747

ABOUT THE FILM

The modern world was born on a printing press. Once essential to communication, the 500-year-old process is now in danger of being lost as its caretakers age. From self-proclaimed basement hoarders to the famed Hatch Show Print, Pressing On: The Letterpress Film explores the question: why has letterpress survived in a digital age?

Worlds of each character emerge as unusual narratives—joyful, mournful, reflective and visionary—are punctuated with on-screen visual poetry, every shot meticulously composed. Captivating personalities blend with wood, metal and type as young printers strive to save this historic process in a film created for the designer, type nerd, historian and collector in us all.

ABOUT RED DOOR PRESS

This husband and wife duo started their now burgeoning business out of their garage in 2012. This past year they moved into a newly renovated space at Mainframe Studios in Des Moines, IA and continue to print everything from unique cards, broadsides, social stationery, corporate branding and more.

Special thanks to our sponsors:
AIGA Iowa, Mainframe Studios, The Downtown Farmers Market

Active DSM Local Makers

Join us Thursday, July 13th at Active Endeavors with some of our favorite local Des Moines Makers. 

Event will run from 5-8 pm for a pop-up shopping experience outside the store. When you make a purchase with one of our local makers, you’ll receive a ticket good for $5 Off your purchase inside (up to $15 Off).

Our friends from The Side Garage will also be set-up for Print-Your-Own-Shirt to raise money for CITA (Central Iowa Trail Association). Plus, AE will have refreshments iced down inside to keep you cool while you check out all of the local goodness!

PARTICIPATING MAKERS:

● The Side Garage
● Authentic Life Co. 
● Iowa Parklands
● The Red Door Press
● National Park Maps
● Hangry Hippos
● Bozz Prints