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- Downtown boutique CIELO will close its brick-and-mortar shop on Jan. 14.
- Cortado Mediterranean Café will permanently close on Jan. 30 after ten years in business.
- The Iowa City GameStop location is closing on Jan. 8 due to a rent increase.
Two local businesses and a national brand will close their Iowa City locations in the first month of 2026.
CIELO, a downtown boutique at 125 S. Dubuque St., and Cortado, a popular café at 26 S. Clinton St., recently announced closures, along with GameStop at 1011 Hwy 1 W., marking a significant shake-up in the Iowa City landscape.
Here is what to know about each closure:
Downtown Iowa City boutique, CIELO, to close soon
In a social media post on Dec. 30, CIELO announced it will close its brick-and-mortar shop, with its final day of business on Wednesday, Jan. 14.
Founded by Monica Ferguson in 2015, CIELO started selling handmade products at local markets and boutiques. In 2021, the business opened its first storefront in the Iowa River Landing. The business later expanded to the Ped Mall in 2023, taking over the space previously occupied by Basic Goods.
“Cielo” means “heaven” in Spanish. The boutique specializes in “heavenly” goods: soft clothing, sassy gifts, luxury blankets and candles, and self-care products. CIELO will offer 50% off all in-store purchases from 12 to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. The business will be closed on Monday and Tuesday.
“After thoughtful consideration, we’ve decided to close our physical CIELO shop,” the business said in its social media post. “We’re deeply grateful to everyone who has supported our Iowa City shop.”
Iowa City’s Cortado Mediterranean Café to shutter at the end of the month
Cortado Mediterranean Café will close on Friday, Jan. 30, ending a decade of local business, the restaurant announced on social media Monday, Jan. 6.
“With great appreciation, we announce Cortado will be closing for good. We have loved being a place for the town to come together and enjoy great coffee and food,” the post reads. “[Ten] years went by in a flash, but the memories will stay forever. A bittersweet ending to such a wonderful dream.”
Yochai Harel opened Cortado in Iowa City after years of working in coffee shops, inspired to establish a European-influenced coffee shop in town. Along with strong espresso, Cortado also serves made-to-order Mediterranean-style sandwiches, salads, and breakfast items.
Cortado is open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The cafe is closed on Sunday.
GameStop closing Iowa City and Waterloo locations
The GameStop in Iowa City will close on Thursday, Jan. 8, due to rising rent, according to key holder Nathan Walter.
“We make more money than the Cedar Rapids location; they’ll be closing our store instead because it costs more money to keep us open,” Walter said.
The decision to close does not seem to be related to the retailer’s plan to shutter a “significant number of additional stores” during its 2025 fiscal year, according to a December filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). GameStop’s fiscal year ends on Jan. 31, 2026.
Waterloo’s GameStop at 1515 Flammang Dr. will also close on Wednesday, Jan. 7. In Iowa, there are nine GameStop locations, including five in the Des Moines metro.
GameStop has closed 590 stores in the United States in the last fiscal year as part of a “store portfolio optimization review.”
The Ames Gamestop closed in early 2025.
Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and education reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at JRish@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rishjessica_
