Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from around the tri-state area. This week, we highlight developments in Dubuque and Dyersville, Iowa.
A new restaurant and grocery store owned by Bosnia natives soon will bring a fresh flavor to Dubuque.
Ado’s Taste of Europe aims to open at 3250 Kennedy Circle, Suite 4B, in the first week of December, according to co-owner Selma Durakovic. Her mother, Emina Masinovic, and her stepfather, Mirsad Masinovic, also are co-owners.
All three were born in Bosnia. Mirsad came to the U.S. in 1997, while Durakovic and her mother arrived in this country a dozen years later.
Durakovic has a degree in accounting and business management, and her mother is an avid cook. Because of this, the family had considered opening a restaurant and grocery store for years.
“We decided to give it a shot,” Durakovic said. “It is a big risk. There is not a big Bosnian community locally. But we also know there isn’t anything else like this in Dubuque.”
Durakovic noted that the name Ado’s Taste of Europe was inspired by the nickname of her little brother, whose full name is Adnan.
Entrees served at the restaurant will include cevapi, a grilled dish of minced meat that is popular in southeast Europe. The eatery also will serve a Balkan plate featuring various meats, a beef pie known as burek, a cheese pie referred to as sirnica, crepes and a variety of other items.
The grocery store will sell Bosnian flour, chocolate, coffee, cookies, soups, tea, condiments and snacks, as well as Bosnian sausage, salami and different types of Bosnian juices and drinks.
It also will offer some nonfood items, including serving and baking trays and coffee pots.
Residents can keep tabs on when the business will open by visiting the Ado’s Taste of Europe Facebook page.
MUSIC STORE MAKES CHANGES
The ongoing pandemic has led to major changes for a musical instrument chain store with a presence in Dubuque.
Wendy Kephart, manager at West Music, said COVID-19 has disrupted the operations of the company’s core customers and will force the business to move its Dubuque location.
Kephart noted that West Music works closely with school bands, which have been significantly impacted by the ongoing pandemic. These changes have prompted the business to rethink its footprint.
It recently announced it will close the store in Decorah and relocate the store in Dubuque.
“We are rescaling to adapt to the changing retail environment,” she said.
In early January, West Music will move to 3330 Asbury Road. The new location will have only some of the offerings available at the current location at 2255 John F. Kennedy Road.
According to Kephart, the new location will continue to offer instrument repairs and sell accessories such as reeds and swabs. However, the new store will not feature the full showroom that exists in the current location.
While there won’t be a showroom, West Music still can bring instruments into the store and sell them to customers if they make an appointment. Kephart said customers also can visit showrooms within West Music locations in Coralville, Iowa; Moline, Ill.; and other communities.
Kephart emphasized that West Music will continue to serve its core customers in the new location.
“This is not changing our commitment to the community,” she said. “We are still going to be calling on school districts and supporting our band directors. We are still here, just in a reduced capacity as far as retail.”
West Music can be reached at 563-583-7333.
MEN’S CLOTHING STORE OPENS
A new men’s clothing store has opened in Dyersville, providing shoppers with another option just in time for the holiday shopping season.
Haberdash Outfitters opened at 109 First Ave. W on Friday.
It is owned by Jennifer Recker, who already owns a successful women’s clothing store in Dyersville.
Haberdash Outfitters meets the needs of the opposite sex, providing shirts, pants and a variety of accessories.
“We have everything from dress clothes to casual,” Recker said.
The location at 109 First Ave. W formerly housed a bar. Recker said transforming the space involved extensive renovations.
“We have pretty much taken everything out,” she said. “We have redone the walls, torn out the drop ceilings, put in a new ceiling and new lighting, put up some new walls, done a lot of painting and put in new flooring.”
Haberdash Outfitters is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.
It is currently closed on Sundays and Mondays. However, Recker said the store will open from noon to 3 p.m. on Sundays between Thanksgiving and Christmas.