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Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from across the tri-state area. This edition highlights businesses in Dubuque; Platteville, Wis.; and Potosi, Wis.
7 Hills Brewing Co. opened its newest tap house on Saturday in Dubuque.
“We kind of kept with the nostalgic look,” said Keith Gutierrez, owner of
7 Hills.
The business’ characteristic lime green paint lines the bright bar area at 3100 Dodge St. — adjacent to Best Western Plus Dubuque Hotel & Conference Center — and nostalgia bleeds into the menu.
“With the Americana, it’s more upscale, classic comfort foods that people like,” Gutierrez said. The menu includes meatloaf, catfish, a pastrami sandwich, smash burgers, chicken, salads and wraps.
7 Hills also took advantage of the kitchen’s conveyor pizza oven, a remnant of Old Chicago Pizza + Taproom, which formerly occupied the space.
“It was a new piece of equipment, but we figured it out quick,” Gutierrez said.
The business added to the menu tavern-style pizzas and calzones with dough made in-house.
Another already popular menu item is the Smile High Nachos, which are similar to the nachos at Champps, the eatery that preceded Old Chicago at the location. Tony Furlin, 7 Hills food and beverage director, was a former Champps chef.
“He was super excited to get back in that kitchen because he loved it there,” Gutierrez said.
Tap house staff plan to add a weekend breakfast within the next month and eventually fried chicken dinners on Thursdays and Sundays.
“I think the menu will be very well received in Dubuque, and we kind of created it for the majority of Dubuque,” Gutierrez said.
7 Hills Tap House is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. For more information, visit 7hillsbrew.com or its Facebook page at tinyurl.com/ 7hillstaphouse.
Platteville Thrift Shop expands
A thrift shop in Platteville expanded to a larger space this week.
Platteville Thrift Shop bought a building and the surrounding 3 acres at 1555 E. U.S. Business 151.
“The building itself isn’t much bigger than our current location was, but the expansion possibilities here are greater than what we had,” said Jaqueline Varholik, director of operations. “We were looking for something that we could ultimately grow bigger in.”
The retail space is larger than the retail space at Platteville Thrift Shop’s former location at 950 Lancaster St.
The new space allows the shop to carry more large items, such as furniture; put out merchandise more quickly; grow its silent auction; and increase traffic to its location.
“It puts us into the business district, so Walmart, Menards and (Blain’s) Farm & Fleet are all close by,” Varholik said. “When we were in our old location, there was virtually no real big businesses around us.”
The shop opened in Platteville in 1973 as a nonprofit aimed at providing free and low-cost clothing to the area. The store receives items donated from the community, sells them and distributes the profits to local organizations.
Its total sales topped $570,000 in 2025, according to the shop’s annual report. Proceeds from the shop’s silent auction, which includes unique and antique items, surpassed $50,000 in 2025.
The shop donated more than $290,000 last year through grants and financial contributions to local organizations and its clothing voucher program. The business also donated clothing, craft supplies, books and more to local schools, churches and organizations.
“We’re really excited for the public to see a fresh new space, more merchandise, more turnover of merchandise and ultimately more money that we can pump back into the Platteville community,” Varholik said
Platteville Thrift Shop is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. For more information, visit plattevillethriftshop.org or its Facebook page at facebook.com/plattevillethriftshop.
Fitness gym opens in Potosi
A fitness gym aimed at introducing people to weight and core workouts is now open in Potosi.
All Purpose Performance, 336 U.S. 61 S., kicked off its classes Monday.
“I kind of use the startup of this gym as a start-over for everyone,” said Brett Snider, who owns the gym with his girlfriend, Liz Simmons. “That way we can learn together and progress our bodies to become stronger and more functional.”
The gym focuses on safely introducing people to working out in a gym and building their ability to use their bodies against resistance.
The business offers 30-minute group classes with a maximum of eight participants starting at 4:15 a.m. They are primarily in the high-intensity interval training, or HIIT, style.
“You’ve got your work, you’ve got your rest, and you’ve got your rotation,” Snider said. “Everything is down to the second.”
The equipment includes dumbbells, slam and wall balls, ab rollers, boxes for box jumps, yoga mats and resistance bands.
The gym also offers 30- and 60-minute personal training classes. All the classes are led by Snider.
“That is for people who really want to dive into what they are capable of — how many sets, how many reps — and be very specific,” Snider said.
The gym also includes a kids zone, where children can be in a safe environment in view of parents taking part in the workouts. There are toys, drinks and snacks.
“We didn’t want to restrict parents from having the ability to work out and better themselves,” Simmons said.
Snider has long had an interest in fitness. He grew up playing sports in high school with a class of students and coaches who took weightlifting seriously. He studied health promotions at the University of Wisconsin-
Platteville.
“My ultimate goal in life was to own a gym, and here I am with the support of Liz,” Snider said.
He is still working at a franchise gym in Wisconsin but plans to focus full time on All Purpose Performance starting in July, including offering more classes in the afternoon.
The gym is open from 4:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Visit vagaro.com/allpurposeperformance or call 608-778-3716 to set up a tour and sign up for a class. Find more information on the gym’s Facebook page at tinyurl.com/ allpurposeperformance.