The Pella Area Community and Economic Alliance celebrated the opening of Bokhoven Monument on the east side of town Friday Morning.

The PACE Alliance Dutch Greeters attended the grand opening and a ribbon cutting for the new monument company owned and operated by lifelong resident Tony Bokhoven. The business offers families a place to select and design custom grave markers and memorials to help honor the lives of lost loved ones. Bokhoven said he was grateful to see several members of the community at the open house to show their support.

“It was fun to see some faces that I hadn’t seen in a while, and when you take the chance on opening a small business, it’s really nice to see that your community gets behind you and supports you. And so, that’s one of the cool things about Pella, is everybody comes together and supports the local people. In an opportunity like this, where you’re picking out a gravestone which is something that you know is forever, to see the support and the excitement behind it from people in town was just really rewarding for me.”

Bokhoven Monument is located at 511 E. Oskaloosa Street. The shop is open Monday through Thursday from 8 am to 3 pm, Friday from 8 am to noon, with evening and weekend appointments also available. For more information or to schedule a visit, call 641-629-6654.