Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from across the tri-states. This edition highlights developments in Galena, Ill.; Manchester, Iowa; and Platteville, Wis.

GALENA, Ill. — A longtime area flea market and decor store has moved to a new, expanded location along U.S. 20 in Galena.

Red’s Wholesale Lot recently opened at 11110 U.S. 20 across the road from Walmart and Galena Chrysler. The store replaces Red’s Wholesale Iron Yard, which operated out of 308 S. Main St. for more than four decades.

“Main Street has great foot traffic, but I was ready for a change,” said owner Robert “Big Red” Foley. “And this is a great location. I can sit here and watch thousands of cars go by each day.”

Red’s Wholesale Lot offers a variety of vintage signs, life-size statues, rustic decor and more. The lot outside the store features a charging red bull the size of a small vehicle, and a four-foot green alien statue greets visitors inside.

The roughly 3,900-square-foot lot is one of two Red’s locations. The Foley family also owns and operates Red’s Wholesale Barn at 11658 W. Red Gates Road in Galena.

“We get a lot of regulars because my name’s been out there a long time,” Foley said. “Sometimes, it feels like Red’s has been here my whole life, but it’s actually been about 43 years since (the Main Street location) started.”

Foley said outdoor decor makes up the store’s most popular merchandise, so the spring and summer months are busiest at the store. Regulars come from all over the Midwest to find the perfect sign or wind-spinner for their garden, he said.

The store is also a hotspot for collectors, he added, thanks to its collection of vintage signs, handmade metalwork and other unique finds. The new location offers more space to display those items compared to the Main Street location, as well as plenty of parking.

“It’s the slow season right now, but who knows what the spring will bring us when the tourists start coming back,” Foley said. “We’re looking forward to getting some good business at the new location.”

Red’s Wholesale Lot and Red’s Wholesale Barn both are open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week. The store can be reached at 815-777-9675 or by emailing redswholesalebarn@gmail.com.

Chiropractic, wellness office opens in Manchester

A new chiropractic office has opened in Manchester with a focus on full-body wellbeing.

Wellness Within Chiropractic and Wellness recently opened at 115 E. Main St. The clinic offers chiropractic care as well as massage therapy, food sensitivity testing, health coaching and more.

“We believe in treating people as a whole,” said massage therapist and health coach Lisa Gudenkauf. “Everything in your body is connected — your muscles and your bones, your head and your gut. So we really want to find ways to make people feel better head to toe.”

Gudenkauf works at the office with chiropractor Kyle McGrane, her soon-to-be son-in-law. The two book clients separately but will bounce ideas off each other on how best to address a given issue or concern as needed.

In addition to health services, the clinic also consults on and sells a variety of health supplements and creams.

“I can do adjustments or soft tissue work with clients,” McGrane said. “People will come to us who have been looking for years for a way to manage their pain or address some other issue, and we’re here to help.”

The Manchester office is open by appointment from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday.

More information about available services and booking information can be found online at wellnesswithin-ia.com or by calling 563-608-5238.

Platteville bridal shop celebrates 50 years

A Platteville bridal shop is celebrating 50 years in business.

Bridal Boutique, 40 E. Main St., has been a part of the Platteville community since 1973. Now under its third set of owners, the store offers wedding gowns, bridesmaid dresses, sparkling accessories and more.

“We were talking it through the other day with the past owners, and we figured this store has probably helped tens of thousands of brides,” said boutique co-owner Tomi Gill. “We’re a small part of a big day, but it’s enough interaction to have an impact on the bride and us.”

The boutique first opened in the Platteville home of its initial owners, Judy and Bryan Walthers, before later moving to the Main Street storefront it has filled for decades. It then was purchased by Margy Spensley and Ann Kettler in 1985.

Spensley and Kettler made the decision to expand the business, said co-owner Hayley Mokros, and began to offer formalwear options for mothers of the bride, as well as dresses for school dances such as prom or homecoming.

“That was huge for the store,” Mokros said. “It really expanded what we were able to offer here in the store and the types of customers we’re able to reach.”

Gill purchased a portion of the business from Kettler in 2010, and Mokros purchased the other from Spensley in 2019. Both previously had worked in the store as sales associates.

In 2020, the pair began a complete renovation of the store’s interior with a focus on improving customer experience.

They added a bridal suite for dedicated bridal appointments and repainted the entire space. To honor the building’s historic charm, they exposed some of the structure’s older features, including its antique windows and a decorative ceiling.

When brides book their visit, they now also can choose from different appointment options for added amenities such as snacks, a customized playlist or a container of confetti to pop when they find the perfect gown.

“People can buy dresses anywhere now, so the focus has really become the experience of it all,” Mokros said. “We really tried to create a space that will be special and memorable for our customers.”

The boutique is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. More information about the store and how to book an appointment can be found online at bridalboutiquewi.com.