The history behind Des Moines' funkiest commercial building

State of play: Most recently, the building was home to the Des Moines New Age Shop, which moved to Merle Hay Mall.

• A slew of other businesses operated there since the '80s, including hair salons and chiropractors.

Flashback: The building was opened in 1982 by a group of hairdressers known as the "Headliners" — Rick Mosley, Bob Davis, Michael Briggs and Lanny Formaro, according to Register archives.

• They owned their own businesses under a co-op model to share infrastructure costs.

The intrigue: I sleuthed around and asked the popular Facebook group "Lost Des Moines" about the building's peculiar shape.

• Live music was popular for the hairdressers — and acoustics don't sound great in a flat, square room.

💙 My thought bubble: A core childhood memory was visiting the hair salon in the '90s for a birthday party and getting blue glitter in my hair.