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For some, home is simply the place they live. For Mike Ladehoff, it’s much more than that — it’s a feeling woven through decades of friendships, shared challenges, and small-town grit. “Marshalltown means home in the deepest sense,” he says. “It is comfortable, ever-changing, but never loses its core values. People caring for each other.” That sense of belonging has shaped his life and now drives his candidacy as he runs for mayor of Marshalltown.

Walk into a well-staged home, and something intangible happens. The walls feel warmer. The rooms feel purposeful. You can imagine family photos on the shelves, dinners around the table, and sunlight pouring through windows on a Sunday morning. It’s not magic — but it is intentional. And in Marshalltown, that transformation has a name: Staging 2 Sell It.

On any given Friday night in Marshalltown, a small crowd gathers inside Artemis Tavern. Dice clatter against tabletops, trading cards shuffle in eager hands, and laughter fills the air as players — some friends, some strangers — lean over shared games and shared stories. But this isn’t just a shop. It’s a dream decades in the making, built from childhood memories, a beloved teacher’s kindness, and one man’s mission to “be the light this world needs.”

Every town has a story. Marshalltown’s is made of thousands — small moments, hard-earned victories, and everyday lives that together form something extraordinary.