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Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from the tri-state area. In addition to this update from Dubuque, we will share other developments in Tuesday’s edition.
A Dubuque bar has new owners and a new name.
First Reserve, 210 W. First St., is the new name of the bar formerly known as Third Corner. Tom Frith and Leslie Haan took over ownership of the business and have updated social media accounts in the last month with the bar’s new name.
“We’ve been slowly transitioning into it,” Frith said. “It’s been going good. It’s been very organic, word of mouth. We’re looking forward to doing some formal marketing.”
Frith also is one of the owners of Wicked Dame, located right next to First Reserve. He said he was approached by Blue Kunz, who owned Third Corner, about buying the bar in August after her husband got a job in a different city.
“She started bringing in high-end whiskey,” he said. “Wicked Dame has high-end wine. I thought the two would complement each other.”
Frith and Haan redid the space in phases, including putting in a new bar, while still remaining open. They also decided to change the name to highlight their whiskey and bourbon offerings, and bottles of the liquor also can be purchased from a retail case.
“We’ve gotten a lot of compliments on how nice our selection is,” Frith said.
The owners plan to offer food items starting in the first quarter of the new year, and they are working on a menu.
“We want to keep it simple, with one simple, fun item a day,” Haan said. “We will have a couple of soups, appetizers. The thought process is we will hopefully be open 11 (a.m.) to 8 (p.m.) for food to hit the lunch crowd.”
The kitchen will be located next door at 212 W. First St., which also was part of Third Corner.
That space eventually will house a coffee shop that Frith and Haan have planned, which will be called First Brewed.
“The coffee shop will be open in the second quarter (of 2023),” Frith said.
First Reserve opens at 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and is closed Sunday and Monday. More information on the bar can be found on Facebook at facebook.com/FirstReserve and on Instagram.