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Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from across the tri-states. This edition highlights recent developments in Dubuque and Glen Haven, Wis.
A Dubuque drone videography and landmark art business recently relocated.
Elevated Images, 471 W. Fourth St., now is poised for elevated interest — with Fenelon Place Elevator nearby.
“Really, we wanted to better serve the tourist economy and community,” Elevated Images owner Michael Williams said. “The Fourth Street elevator is one of the most iconic (Dubuque) experiences and adventures for people of all ages. It’s been around for over 100 years. … When people are traveling through Dubuque, they’re stopping here. Our local community is also down in the Fourth Street district all of the time.”
The company previously had a storefront at 129 Main St.
New Dubuque-themed candles, buttons, pins and images are available for sale.
Elevated Images also has new drone models capable of indoor shoots. They are mostly being used for “FPV,” first-person-view flying services. Williams and his team now film more action shots with skaters, skiers, snowboarders, athletes and real estate agents.
“We’re appreciative and blown away by the support that we’ve had,” Williams said of the seven years he has been in business. “It’s unbelievable how many people hold Dubuque and its historical sites near and dear to their heart. (Even for former Dubuquers) seeing these images just evokes an emotional response.”
Elevated Images is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The shop is closed Sunday. It can be reached at 563-564-1553 and ElevatedImagesDubuque.com.
Laundromat to open on Hill StreetA new laundromat will open in a familiar location in Dubuque, with an emphasis on modern equipment and an inviting atmosphere.
Suds on Hill St. plans to open in August at 535 N. Hill St., the location of the former Value Laundry.
Owner Cole Hansen is a fourth-generation laundromat owner.
“I grew up working in my dad’s laundromats in the Chicagoland area and my grandpa’s as well,” he said. “ I came out to Dubuque about 10 years ago, initially to attend Loras (College). … Coming out of college (with a degree in business administration), I knew I’d want to get into the industry and be a part of it. It has just been part of my life, my whole life.”
Four years ago, Hansen had the opportunity to move back to Chicago and take over his father’s business. He chose to stay in Dubuque, where he had entered the publishing industry and put down roots.
“I kind of fell in love with Dubuque and the area,” he said. “I’m happy with the life I have here, and I like the idea of carving my own path.”
Hansen is leading a total remodel of 535 N. Hill, including new equipment.
“The location itself was fairly rough,” he said. “The two biggest differences for us are going to be the overall cleanliness and care of the store. (My) grandfather’s store was always clean, well lit, accessible and somewhere you feel comfortable going to clean your laundry.”
Hansen says his modern machinery will allow him to offer more-affordable prices to the neighborhood clientele, which include some of his own tenants. Hansen has an ownership stake in more than 25 Dubuque housing units.
For more information, visit dubuquelaundromat.com.
1920s bank becomes bar in SW Wisconsin
A century-old bank in Glen Haven reopened recently as a history-immersed bar.
The Vault, 13207 Main St., offers area craft beers and wines with plans to serve jumbo pretzels soon.
Owners Kerri Price and her husband, Tim, have spent the past six months peeling back the new by tearing down modern walls and tearing up modern flooring.
Beneath four layers of brick and one steel plate, they found the Glen Haven Bank’s titular vault, plus its original 6,000-pound bell safe and safety deposit boxes.
It’s now both the host of the bar’s refrigerator and eye candy to its guests. The exterior steel plating is now the business’ front sign.
A 1942 Lady Liberty silver half-dollar that once fell behind a box now gleams under epoxy at the new pump table. A retrofitted counter of the original bank is a pub table at the front window of the bar.
The original tin of the ceiling wasn’t there beneath the modern one, so an antique bronze art deco-inspired one was added, lit by moody Sputnik lighting. The original flooring of the structure has been uncovered and refinished, scraped clean of decades of vinyl and age.
There’s even an old crank phone, found in the crawl space and promptly mounted on a wall for display.
“(We’re) just trying to take you back in time to maybe what it would have looked like back in the day if it were a bar,” Kerri Price said. “Everything is still there from the bank. There’s just a different function.”
The building’s history stretches back to 1911, when it started as The Glen Haven
Its presence harkens back to the heydays of the town.
Originally known by the humble moniker “Stump Town,” Glen Haven gained its own name around 1856, plus the bulk of its population and economic relevance in 1884, with the arrival of a railroad in town.
The town would become one of the largest shipping points for livestock between St. Paul and Chicago up until the early 20th century, when the impact started being felt of both the federal lock and dam project and semi-tractor trailers.
But, between the railroad and the semi-truck, was the Glen Haven Bank. Bank. It would serve the town until the Great Depression, when People’s State Bank bought it. It closed two years ago, but Price saw the space as an opportunity to acknowledge what once was.
“Glen Haven used to have everything,” Price wrote in a Facebook post sharing the history of her hometown and soliciting stories on the history of Glen Haven. “A barbershop, two grocery stores, a feed store (where you could even buy shoes), a hardware store, a gas station, a public school, a Catholic school and even a passenger train. How amazing is that? A passenger train in a town of this size.”
Price’s family history in Glen Haven is almost as deeply rooted as that of the building. She and her 11 siblings were born and raised on a Glen Haven Township dairy farm owned by her parents in the 1970s, but her grandfather owned a bar named White’s Tavern long before, in the 1930s.
“One hundred years later, I’m doing the same thing,” Price said. “It’s a cool connection. … What other stories can we dig up from (within) these walls?”
For hours and other updates, visit tinyurl.com/the-vaultbar.