Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from across the tri-states. This edition highlights developments in Dubuque; Maquoketa, Iowa; and Bellevue, Iowa.

A local couple looks to begin a new chapter with the opening of a store selling secondhand books in Dubuque.

Limerick Candle Co. & Vintage Reads recently opened a brick-and-mortar location at 1108 Iowa St. The downtown storefront offers a variety of used books, as well as hand-crafted candles and wax melts.

“Who doesn’t want to sit down with a good book and a candle?” said co-owner Angie Ma. “This is (a combination) that we’re very excited to share with people.”

Limerick Candle Co. started roughly three years ago as a home-based business when Ma and her husband, Jackie, began selling hand-poured candles at the Dubuque Farmers Market. They later added wax melts, which are smaller pieces of wax that release pleasant aromas when warmed.

The couple curates their own fragrances, Ma said, such as Baja cactus and Irish cream coffee.

As the business gained traction at the market, Ma said she began to hear repeated entreaties for a full-time storefront. When she began to consider the possibility more seriously, she didn’t have to look far.

“On Saturday, our market booth sits right out front of the store,” she said of the Iowa Street storefront. “I’d been eyeing this place for a while because it meant that all my customers would know where I am.”

Ma decided to pair the candle business with secondhand books to diversify her inventory and build on her lifelong love of reading.

All of Limerick’s books are gently used and therefore are offered at a discounted price, she said. The shelves span multiple genres and authors, she added, ranging from fantasy and science fiction titles to romance and mysteries.

“Books are expensive, and that can be hard if you’re someone who really loves to read,” she said. “This has that cost savings, … so hopefully more people will be able to pick up a book and find something they love.”

Limerick Candle Co. & Vintage Reads is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Additional information is available online at facebook.com/limerickcandleco.

Sales to resume at Maquoketa livestock center

The new owners of a Maquoketa livestock center are set to launch sales next week.

Equity Cooperative Livestock Sales Association acquired the former United Livestock Center at 610 N. Matteson St. in Maquoketa late last year and has since worked to renovate and staff the facility.

The regional cooperative will launch its Maquoketa sales at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24, with the sale of fed cattle, cows, bulls and calves. Sales will then occur weekly at the same day and time.

“Equity has been in business for over 100 years, so this is not new to us,” said Chief Operating Officer Mark Clarke. “But being a cooperative, we take a lot of pride in our relationship with the community, so we are excited to build those connections there (in Maquoketa).”

In addition to fed livestock, the facility also will host sales of feeder cattle on the second and fourth Friday of each month.

Clarke said Equity Cooperative decided to purchase the Maquoketa facility to expand the company’s northeast Iowa footprint. The cooperative currently operates 12 auction markets in the Midwest, including one in Waukon, Iowa.

“With the numbers of producers down there, it just seemed to make sense financially and geographically to end up in that part of Iowa,” Clarke said of the Maquoketa location. “We didn’t have a market real close to service those producers, and this fixes that.”

For more information on the Maquoketa market, visit equitycoop.com or call market manager Mike Till at 608-434-2411.

Bellevue nutrition club under new ownership

The new owners of a Bellevue nutrition club hope to create a “cozy, welcoming” space for area residents after their recent purchase of a downtown business.

Andrea and Shaun Murray, of Cuba City, Wis., recently acquired the nutrition club previously known as The Vue at 210 S. Riverview St. The couple has rebranded and reopened the business as Riverside Sippin’.

The club serves a variety of healthy teas, shakes and other beverages, as well as a select menu of nutritious snacks.

“We wanted to put our own taste and spin on the club,” Andrea Murray said. “We’re excited to be a part of the community, and we’re hoping that Bellevue welcomes us.”

Andrea and Shaun Murray already run two nutrition clubs in southwest Wisconsin, including Good Vibes Nutrition in Platteville and The Thirstea Troll in Mount Horeb. Those clubs offer a similar menu and have their own following, Andrea Murray said.

When the Bellevue business was put up for sale, she said it presented an opportunity to expand that footprint to the other side of the Mississippi River.

“When we heard about it, we were super interested,” Andrea Murray said. “It’s such a cute space in a cute town with an amazing view, so there were just so many positives.”

The couple assumed ownership of the Bellevue business this summer and spent some time making the space their own and curating what Murray described as a “warm, cozy” vibe.

The new menu includes many of the same options as The Vue, she said, with some expansions and additions. All of the menu items will focus on health and wellness and will be customizable based on what each customer is looking for.

Visitors will be able to choose between caffeinated or non-caffeinated drinks and can opt for a variety of additions for different flavors, vitamins and other additives.

“We offer alternatives to make sure the customer gets the drink that they want,” Murray said. “There’s so many different options, and we always choose to put as many of those out there for the community as we can.”

Riverside Sippin’ is open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Additional information can be found online at tinyurl.com/ViewSip.