Featured memberSensiil Studios
Des Moines, IA
Discover Sensiil Studios, a leading black comic book publisher in the Midwest, specializing in captivating sci-fi comics and diverse narratives.
Black-owned
Des Moines, Iowa
Diverse-owned businesses across Des Moines
Everything we list from Des Moines and Polk County, in one place. Restaurants, home services, consultants, trades and shops, each with a source and a verification status you can check.
Featured in Des Moines
Businesses worth knowing about
Featured member
Featured memberEl Toreado
Des Moines, IA
Embark on a unique culinary journey as you explore our diverse menu.
Black-owned
Featured memberA-1 Movers
Des Moines, IA
A-1 Movers provides local and long-distance moving, packing, and unpacking in the Des Moines area.
Black-owned
What is in Des Moines
19 businesses across 12 categories
Published listings in Des Moines. Every one shows where its information came from.
By ownership, in Des Moines
We are looking to add businesses in West Des Moines, Ankeny, Urbandale, Waukee, Johnston, and Altoona. If you run one, this is where Des Moines shoppers are already looking, and you would be the first listed in your city. A free listing puts it there.
Start with the reading
Guides to the Des Moines market
One short read on where to eat, shop and hire around Des Moines.
Businesses to know
More businesses to know
Enhanced members across the metro. Every category has its own section further down.
Restaurants & Food in Des Moines
Des Moines eats in a few walkable pockets. The East Village sits below the Capitol, Court Avenue carries the downtown evening, Ingersoll Avenue runs west from it, and Historic Valley Junction in West Des Moines is its own strip. The downtown farmers market is a real part of the food scene and a good number of smaller food businesses sell there rather than from a dining room. Check how to order before you travel.
Bakeries in Des Moines
Bakers across Des Moines and the suburbs, from storefront counters to custom cake kitchens. A good number sell by preorder or at the downtown farmers market rather than keeping shop hours, and custom cakes usually want a week or more of notice. Confirm allergy-friendly baking rather than assuming it.
Home Services in Des Moines
Cleaning, landscaping, snow removal, moving and property maintenance across the metro. Most of this category travels to the property, so the service area matters more than the address. Snow clearing is part of the Iowa winter calendar and the good contracts are taken before the first storm.
Construction in Des Moines
Contractors, electricians, painters and specialty trades working across Polk County and the towns around it. Iowa licensing and municipal registration are worth asking to see. Exterior work follows the season closely, so spring through fall books out and winter is easier for quotes.
Professional Services in Des Moines
Consultants, accountants, staffing firms and business services across Des Moines and the suburbs. Insurance and financial services are the metro's largest industry and a lot of the consulting here works around them. Several of these firms work from home offices or shared space rather than a walk-in address.
Beauty & Personal Care in Des Moines
Salons, barbers, braiders and skincare studios across the metro. Most work by appointment and specialist work books furthest ahead. A number of stylists work from a suite inside a larger studio rather than a shopfront, so confirm the address before the day.
Education & Training in Des Moines
Tutors, childcare, instructors and training providers across the metro. Iowa licenses childcare and early education, which is worth asking about. Several instructors teach at the student's home or online rather than from a classroom.
Financial Services in Des Moines
Tax preparers, bookkeepers, insurance agents and financial advisers across the metro. Des Moines is an insurance town and this category runs deeper than the city's size suggests. Tax practices keep seasonal hours and are hardest to reach in the first months of the year.
Manufacturing & Supply in Des Moines
Manufacturers, fabricators, distributors and suppliers across the metro. Most of this category sells business to business rather than to the public, so expect a quote process rather than a price list.
Marketing & Creative in Des Moines
Photographers, videographers, designers and marketing studios across the metro. Wedding and event photographers book a season ahead, and most commercial work happens at the client's site rather than in a studio.
Retail & Shops in Des Moines
Independent shops across Des Moines and the suburbs, covering apparel, gifts, beauty supply and makers selling their own work. The East Village and Historic Valley Junction carry most of the walkable retail. Several are online first with local pickup, so confirm shop hours.
Technology in Des Moines
IT services, software and technical consultancies working out of the metro. Much of this category is remote first and serves clients well beyond Iowa, so ask about on-site coverage if you need someone in the building.
Events in Des Moines
Pride
- JunTBAAnkeny PrideExpected June 2027
- JunTBACapital City Pride PrideFestExpected June 2027
- JunTBACentral Iowa Trans Lives FestivalExpected June 2027
Heritage and awareness days
- October 25-31Ace Week (Asexual Awareness Week)LGBTQ+
- October 26Intersex Awareness DayLGBTQ+
- November 1-2Día de los MuertosHispanic and Latino
- November 8DiwaliFaith
Nonprofits & Community Organizations in Des Moines
Nonprofits around Des Moines for getting help, getting involved and giving back: community centers, youth programs, health services, Pride, the arts, disability services and career support.
Community Spotlight
Advocacy & legal · Health & HIV
One Iowa
Des Moines, IA · statewide
Statewide LGBTQ+ education, health care navigation, inclusivity training and a Leadership Institute, plus a resource guide for all Iowans.
Serves: LGBTQ+ Iowans statewide, plus the employers, health care providers and organizations that serve them
View organization
Community center · History & archives
Des Moines Pride Center
Des Moines, IA
Iowa's largest queer-only library and an LGBTQIA+ history archive, open Sundays in Des Moines' Sherman Hill neighborhood.
Serves: LGBTQIA+ people and allies in Des Moines and across Iowa
View organization
Career & workforce · Economic empowerment
Dress for Success Des Moines
Urbandale, IA
Interview outfits from volunteer stylists, career coaching and a monthly women's group for job seekers across Central Iowa.
Serves: Women seeking work and advancing in their careers in Des Moines and Central Iowa
View organization
Run a nonprofit or community organization around Des Moines? List it free.
Also serving Des Moines
Featured NationwideMISTR
Online / Nationwide
Sexual health without the waiting room. Free PrEP, DoxyPEP, STI testing and long-term HIV care, prescribed online by licensed physicians and delivered to your door.
LGBTQ-owned
Run a business in the Des Moines metro? Get listed.
You would join 19 businesses already listed in Des Moines. Listing is free and stays free. Upgrading buys priority placement across the Des Moines hub, your category page, every ownership page you match, Iowa results and site search, plus a bigger photo-rich profile and reporting on what visitors did with it.
BasicFree
Standard listing, findable by category and by ownership.
3 photos · 150 words
Enhanced$99/yr
Larger card, 8 photos, and you rank above Basic listings everywhere you appear.
8 photos · 300 words
Featured$299/yr
Top of the Des Moines hub, a full gallery, and your website shown on your profile.
20 photos · 750 words