Charles City the site for ‘More BS’ as bottles and cans have a place to go again

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

The mother and daughter business team of Bobbi Rowe and Stacy Lentz decided to bring their BS to Charles City.

The two are the proprietors of “BS And Stuff,” a can and bottle redemption site that has been operating in Nashua for about three years, along with some help from Stacy’s husband, Dave.

Stacy Lentz said that the name of the establishment comes from the first initials of her mother and her — Bobbi and Stacy.

“That’s where the name comes from, and also because we’re both pretty good ‘BS-ers,’ too,” she laughed.

The new Charles City branch is called “More BS,” and it is located at the site of the old Charles City can recycling site at 501 M St., on Hwy 18 headed east at the edge of town, which has been closed for several months.

The new redemption center officially opened on Nov. 4, and Lentz said that so far, business has been good.

“The outpouring from the community has just been fantastic,” she said. “Compliments upon compliments, Charles City has really made us feel welcome.”

Lentz said that the business in Nashua “kind of exploded” with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and they were having cans come to them “from all directions.”

“We outgrew our business size here in Nashua, and it wasn’t cost-effective to add on here,” said Lentz, who lives in Nashua. “We decided to expand out to a new location to help more people.”

Lentz said that the Charles City location is owned by Denny Tynan, and Tynan’s daughter initially reached out to Lentz and encouraged her to expand to Charles City. She said it was a perfect fit, and it all came together quickly and easily.

The Charles City location is open Wednesdays from 1-6 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“We try to accommodate the working person, which is why we’re open Saturdays and until 6 p.m. on weekdays,” Lentz said.

The business hours at the 2650 Cheyenne Ave. location in Nashua are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays. Lentz’s typical day consists of spending 1-4 hours in Nashua in the morning and finishing the day in Charles City. Her husband manages the company Facebook page and runs pickup routes to other local towns.

“Everybody that I have hired has been phenomenal,” she said. “I trust each employee with my business.”

Lentz calls the redemption center a “satellite store.” She said she gives the customers their nickels, then vendors come and pick up the cans. The business makes one cent per container.

“That’s why redemption centers struggle to make it — it’s just one penny for each can,” she said, but added that people support them with tips, and find other ways to give them incentives to move forward and continue.

In the near future, the Nashua location will also sell beer, liquor, locker meat and other items, although Lentz said she has no intention of doing that in Charles City.

“Charles City already has a variety of liquor stores, and I couldn’t even begin to try to compete with those guys,” she said. “We’ll keep it as a redemption center and keep it open as long as we possibly can.”

Lentz said she has been pleased with the tremendous amount of support she has received in Charles City.

“We’d like to thank the people in Charles City for their business and their politeness and support that they’ve given us since we’ve opened there,” she said. “Without them, there would be no need for us.”