Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from across the tri-states. This edition highlights developments in Dubuque, Dickeyville, Wis., and Galena, Ill.

A Dubuque business owner has followed her dream by opening her own spa while earning an esthetics degree.

Kat Brosnan has opened Renew from Within at 4029 Pennsylvania Ave., Suite 2. She said the space occupied by the spa became available after Midwest Printing & Bindery downsized, though the printing business still operates out of a different portion of the building.

“Last fall, I decided to go back to school for esthetics (at Capri College), and I decided it was either now or never,” Brosnan said of starting her own business. “I started looking for a space, and I saw the vision.”

Brosnan said she had been working for nine years as a massage therapist before deciding to take esthetics classes and becoming her own boss.

Now, Brosnan said she has four employees working with her.

“The girls are doing amazing,” she said. “It started off with just one other person with me, but now their books are all filling up.”

Brosnan added that each of the spa’s five rooms is themed after a different precious stone: emerald, rose quartz, onyx, sapphire and amethyst.

Renew from Within offers massages, skin care services, waxing, makeup application and brow and lash services. The spa also offers items such as crystals, bath bombs and candles for purchase.

Brosnan said she has been seeing fewer clients herself as she works on administrative tasks to grow the business, but she is proud of the work she has put in to grow her own business.

“We opened in January, and I was in school for the first four months of being open,” Brosnan said. “I barely saw my family. I was working 12-hour days here until midnight, cleaning and getting things ready. If you want things in life, it’s important to realize you have to put work in and make sacrifices, and I definitely did that.”

Renew from Within is by appointment only, and employees are usually in the building from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The spa can be reached at 563-213-3187 and found online at renewfromwithindbq.com.

Longtime southwest Wisconsin photo studio to sell current location

A couple is selling their longtime Dickeyville photo studio and looking for a new way to run their business.

Marty and Betty Collins have been running Countryside Studio, 335 W. Main St., since 1991. Now, that property is up for sale.

“Three or four years after being there, we built a home attached (to the studio),” said Marty Collins. “Ten years ago, we built a new home and basically left the home at the studio with the intention of renting it out. Then the pandemic hit, and we downsized what we’re doing. Now, we’ve got way more building than what we use.”

Marty Collins stressed that Countryside Studio is not ceasing operations but will instead explore other options once the Main Street property is sold.

Those options include making a change to doing work on location only.

“The industry really switched in the last couple of years to on location rather than studio,” Marty Collins said. “That being said, we still do a lot of standard portrait work that people are passionate about.”

He added that finding a new location to own or rent are also potential moves for the studio.

“There are a lot of balls up in the air right now,” Marty Collins said. “Everything hinges on the building selling. And we’re not that far away from retirement, so even something like renting a studio for the next couple of years might be good.”

Countryside Studio can be reached at 608-568-3777 or via email at countrysidephoto335@gmail.com.

Couple enjoys success with second restaurant in Galena

After the growth of their Dubuque restaurant, an area couple have seen similar success with a second location in Galena.

Adobos Mexican Grill opened a second location earlier this year at 951 Gear St., the former location of Chinese restaurant Beijing Buffet. Jaime and Flor Salazar own Adobos at 756 Main St., and Jaime Salazar owns the Galena location with two other partners, Dennis Buchheit and Toben Murdock.

“Business in Dubuque is very busy right now, so we decided to (add) Galena and see how it goes,” Jaime Salazar said.

The couple said they live in Galena, so the city seemed like a natural fit for a second restaurant location. Flor Salazar noted that the Galena community’s reception to the restaurant has been positive, especially because people were already familiar with Adobos.

“People already knew our products, because we came with the food truck to Galena about two or three times a month,” she said. “They like (our food) a lot, because it’s fast and healthy, and they like that everything is made in-house.”

The menu at the Galena location is the same as Dubuque’s, with options including burritos, burrito bowls, nachos, taco salads and tacos. Flor Salazar said the burritos are most popular, especially ones made with barbacoa, or shredded beef braised in a special sauce.

The Salazars said they took ownership of the Galena building last year and renovated the space, including adding new kitchen equipment. The location also features a drive-thru and currently employs 11 people.

The couple also noted that they might look into opening another Adobos location in Dubuque, where business continues to grow.

“We would also like to have our Galena location have its own food truck, because, particularly during graduation season, we are very busy,” Flor Salazar added.

The Galena Adobos is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. The restaurant can be reached at 779-202-1240.