BUZZ iN REViEW

Buzz in review All the new businesses we wrote about in 2021

Well, 2021 was a weird year, and that

applied to businesses as well. One of the things we had to cut during the pandemic was Th e Buzz, and it was something our readers missed a lot.

To be clear, we didn’t cut it out entirely, but there just weren’t a whole lot of people starting new businesses during the pandemic. It wasn’t as much our staffi ng/advertising issues holding back buzz, it was the general lack of new businesses to write about. While we still wrote them when we came across them, there just weren’t many taking a risk during the pandemic.

Th at changed around the middle of 2021. Th ey started popping up again. And for the last few months, City Pages has had Buzz more weeks than not.

So while it’s probably shorter than Buzz in Reviews in the past, kudos to all those entrepreneurs who took a chance at realizing their dreams. Buzz is great because it celebrates that aspect, and puts a spotlight on those creating new businesses big and small for you to check out.

The start

Taste of Manilla was a pandemic success story. It might have come as a surprise to many that the West Side Tasty Treat now served Filipino food, but many fl ocked to the place to support the delicious cuisine in a place designed for takeout, at a time when takeout was king. But the owners were clear that they weren’t abandoning the origins of West Side Tasty Treat, and you can still grab a hot dog or ice cream there, maybe at one of their Saturday jam sessions last summer.

And Hoehn’s Huddle also had a bit of a surprise in store. Taking over the longloved Grand Avenue Lounge (run by a World War II veteran!), Hoehn’s Huddle brought the supper club back after it closed awhile; and, a surprise to many, it also had its own memorabilia shop. Not something you’d expect in a supper club, but people are fl ocking to the place nonetheless.

Another early season delight: Th e storefront on the cover of Th ird and Grant streets sat empty for some time, but the apartments above always had tenants. But now a pair of entrepreneurs are working on transforming it into a petit hotel, something perfectly suited to the airbnb generation. It’s always nice to see an old building that sat quiet for awhile get some new life.

Th e Wreck Room capitalized on a trend you’ve probably heard of: rooms where you pay a fee, don some safety equipment, and start smashing away. Unfortunately it looks like the Wreck Room closed recently. You’ll have to get out of town to get your smash on.

You probably remember it as the old A&W, but Los Victors transformed the place into a Mexican food haven. People have raved about the food and it’s made a real go of the business out the place that also sat empty for some time. Plus, it still has that classic A&W look.

▲ The jerk tacos are one of the many Jamaican dishes that have proven to be a hit with customers.

  Hoehn’s Huddle owners Daniel Hoehn (right) and partner Taushia Mugge (left ) ▲ said the experience of owning their own business has been surprising to see succeed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and they feel ready for the future. (Evan J. Pretzer for City Pages)

The return

When JN Creations opened up in the Th ird Street Lifestyle Center (which many probably still know by its old name “Washington Square”), it seemed to kick off a period when new businesses started to become more common again.

JN Creations is a little shop in the center selling the artwork of Julie Navarro. Not only can she make custom artwork and has a variety of styles in her small shop, but she also carries high-quality art supplies, based on her years of searching for the best materials.

And a new owner of an old bar, now called 101 Pub, came into business. Th e owner told City Pages he was planning to keep the neighborhood bar feel it always had, and a trip to the place seemed to lend credence to that. He also had plans for the place, including adding live music.

On the other hand, the owners of Frostman Fish Market announced they were closing after ¾ of a century in business. Th ey sold the business to Merrill Distributing, and one of the family members would still stay on and help out.

One of the ongoing stories of the year was where all the businesses that were in the mall had gone. Th e From Laos to America museum reopened in the Th ird Street Lifestyle Center, all the way at the end of the west hallway by the Chamber of Commerce’s offi ces. Th e product of founder Jim Harris, who has made numerous trips to Laos and Cambodia, it’s full of artifacts from Hmong history.

It’s no secret that your author here loves bikes, so I was excited to see Gina Cornell’s story about Matt Bollenbaugh and his bike shop All About Bikes. Bollenbaugh has since done some work for Ebike Escape, a local YouTube channel about ebikes, and is a great go-to for bike repairs.

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Dayspring closing up shop in the Th ird Street Lifestyle Center was a bummer, so it’s nice that Massage Associates moved into the space and made it a beautiful and relaxing place to get a massage and unwind.

Although it’s not so much a business, it was pretty cool news: Dawn Anderson was named Wausau’s fi rst poet laureate. Dawn has a poetry business and is warm and easy to talk to, making her a great fi rst poet laureate for the city. It’ll be fun to see what she does with the position.

Much was made of how the city bought the Sears building after Sears closed (I was once told Wausau’s would be the last Sears to close because it was a distribution hub; so much for that). It was supposed to be a fancy theater you could order dinner at, but that fell through. But Hometown Sears opened up on Grand Avenue. It’s now quite the same - a little more barebones and mostly dealing with hardlines like snowblowers and hammers - but it’s a Sears, nonetheless.

And speaking of the mall, one of the most exciting pieces of news was the announcement that the Children’s Imaginarium (formerly the Central Wisconsin Children’s Museum) would co-located with HOM Furniture, a move made possible by the mall coming down. Families will be happy about that, as many waited for years for that to happen. Th e Imaginarium had numerous setbacks after a number of hoped-for locations wouldn’t work for various reasons. So it was good news for families in the Wausau area.

Continuing on the theme of learning, the Legacy Woodworking Academy opened its doors on the east side of town. I’ve covered woodworking workshops that helped troubled teens get a sense of respect and purpose, and show them that someone cares about them enough to be strict. Th at’s not what is going on here, but everyone can benefi t from the discipline and patience required to put together wood projects.

Th ings seemed a little quiet on the new restaurant front earlier this year, for good reason. But new ones are starting to pop up, and one of those is Taste of Jamaica. Founded in the before unoccupied UWMC kitchen, Taste of Jamaica’s owner planned to serve her Jamaican cuisine on a special night with more ordinary lunch food on off er most of the time, but she was surprised at how popular her Jamaican food was, especially with seniors. Jerk chicken tacos, here we come.

Th at extends to coff ee too. Tucknee Coff ee Company isn’t a totally new coff ee shop - a young trio of entrepreneurs took over the Patina Coff ee Shop, the fourth owners. But their plan is to turn it into a young, hip place with live music and roasting their own coff ee. Th e name is a play on a skateboard trick, to give you an idea of the vibe here. Expect some cool ideas out of these guys.

Many were sad to learn of Johnny Cee’s Cards’ closing, but Game Emporium helped fi ll that gap, fi rst in the mall, then at its new west side story. ISO Games adds another option, with collectible card games, board games and Dungeons and Dragons supplies. As a long time geek who spent many high school lunch hours playing Magic, I appreciate having options.

When the owners of Th e Chocolate Shop opened on 3rd Avenue, they thought of the retail area as an afterthought as the real focus was their wholesale and online business. But it proved so popular they’re actually looking for a new location to operate their wholesale business. It’s not hard to see why - the Holland-imported chocolate is unbelievable, delicious yet in the European/Asian style of not being sickeningly sweet.

Th at would make a good dessert after trying Boriken Mart, a Puerto Rican restaurant that began in 2017 as a pop-up food stand at farmers markets and other events. You’ll learn all about the diff erent kinds of empanadas and be delighted at the taste and the price. Many already have; Boriken was so busy one day they sold out of all their food, despite stocking up on what they thought was a month’s supply.

And it took us a little longer than we’d hoped to get the story, but Th e Garage opened up in Rib Mountain, adding a hip new garage/industrial themed place to grab a beer.

▲ From left , Brad Emon, Matt hew Wruck and Matt hew Check pose at the counter of ISO Games in Wausau shortly aft er opening. The new business in the community supplies board games, card games and supplies for each to customers and envisions moving into vintage video games in the future. (Supplied photo)

The year ahead

It’s hard to know what 2022 will have in store. New variants of COVID threaten a return to normal, including the Omicron variant which appears highly contagious but far less deadly than other variants.

But Wisocnsinites are hardy folks and it appeared in the latter half of 2021, would be entrepreneurs decided to take a stab at their businesses. It’s likely more will in 2022 as well.

▲ This rendering of The Water Zone shows an exampe of what an exhibit at the new Children’s Imaginarium will look like.

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