Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from across the tri-states. In this edition, we highlight developments in Dubuque and Manchester, Iowa.

A Dubuque native recently returned to her hometown and opened a tattoo studio downtown.

Sarah Anderson opened Goldies, 251 W. Eighth St., across from the Roshek Building.

“Having a creative outlet is super important to me,” she said. “And the community of tattooing is a culture I’ve enjoyed being immersed in. That’s what I’m most excited about. The community of Dubuque has a lot to offer in that way.”

Anderson recently relocated to Dubuque after moving from her hometown 20 years ago.

“I was in Kansas City (Mo.), and I had a shop there,” she said. “I wanted to come back to be closer to family. It’s just full circle, coming back.”

All of Anderson’s tattoos are pieces that she draws herself. She said she first meets with a client to hear about what elements or meaning they would like in their tattoo before she begins drawing.

She said she was pursuing a fine arts degree in Milwaukee when she got the opportunity to apprentice at a tattoo parlor eight years ago. Prior to that, Anderson’s artistic focus was on painting and sculpting.

“I think I’ve always been an artist, and tattooing was just a natural progression,” she said.

Anderson has been remodeling her Dubuque space since May. The studio is filled with antique items, which she has collected for more than a decade. She also has space to tattoo one client at a time, creating a more intimate space.

“I get to choose how and when I work,” she said. “I’m not a routine person, but when you work for yourself, you have to be self-motivated. My time is important to me.”

Goldies operates by appointment only Tuesday through Saturday. Appointments can be made by emailing goldiestattoostudio@gmail.com, and the studio can be found on Facebook at facebook.com/Goldiestattoostudio.

Manchester business consolidates

A longtime Manchester business has consolidated from two locations to one.

Treasure Alley, a consignment and resale store, now is solely located at 114 S. Franklin St., next to Franklin Street Brewing Co. The Treasure Alley location at 110 S. Franklin St., which was dedicated to home goods, closed earlier this month, according to owner Marian Gassmann.

“The home store itself had a really good run,” Gassmann said. “It wasn’t an issue of business being bad. It was more of a time factor. I would just like more time to myself. I had this ‘ah-ha’ moment of, ‘Why am I working 24 hours a day, seven days a week?’”

Gassmann’s mother opened Treasure Alley at 114 S. Franklin in 1983. Gassmann took over ownership of the business in 2016 and opened the home goods store in 2017.

“Here we are in 2022, back to our roots,” she said.

Gassmann has added home décor items to the now-sole Treasure Alley location, which had been focused more on clothing for the past five years.

With everything now under one roof, Gassmann said she is better able to take care of clients and gets to spend more time speaking with and getting to know her customers.

“By the end of the first day open (with one store), I already found my joy again,” she said. “I was not feeling like I was being pulled in 10 different directions. I do want to see Treasure Alley hit the 50-year mark, but we won’t if I burn out.”

Treasure Alley is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, as well as from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday. The business can be reached at 563-927-4189.

Consignment store coming to Dubuque mall

A new consignment store for artists and crafters to showcase their work is coming to the mall in Dubuque.

Mercedes Pfab intends to open Maker’s Market in the Kennedy Mall on Sept. 1. The market will be in the former location of clothing store Deb, across from Books-A-Million.

“It’s going to be a consignment store for any local makers, crafters, artists,” Pfab said. “Everything in the store will be handmade and local.”

For the past six years, Pfab has owned the art studio Captured on Canvas, which moved into the mall late last year. Since opening there, she said, she has seen more sales and people coming to do DIY projects, but her gallery space has been shrinking.

She said the new, 6,000-square-foot mall space will be a good place to store her gallery items, as well as feature other makers from Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota and Missouri.

“We get so many people that ask if we do consignment (at Captured on Canvas),” she said. “I know how much work it is to do crafts and stuff. This is the perfect outlet.”

Pfab has 27 vendors who have filled out consignment forms for the Maker’s Market, and she hopes to be in the 30-to-40-vendor range.

She added that there will be a limit on how many vendors are selling items from various product categories, which include artwork, jewelry, apparel, textiles, garden art, soap, candles, wine, photography and refurbished furniture.

“There’s no long-term commitment, but I hope everybody stays,” she said. “We will definitely be rotating items and will hopefully have holiday décor with each season.”

More information on Maker’s Market can be found online at makersmarketdbq.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/makersmarketdbq.