In a city with a surprising number of coffee shops, Uptown Bill’s stands out as a unique place. Part coffeehouse, part performance venue, part used bookstore, in the words of Tom Gilsenan, who ran it for eight years before his retirement in June, it’s “a place where everybody is welcome, no matter what their station […]
Wild Culture Kombucha is expanding beyond growlers, guest taps and a booth at the Iowa City Farmers Market. The low-alcohol probiotic beverages will soon have a permanent home of their own at 210 N Linn St in Iowa City, formerly Sonny’s Northside Tap. Roughly three years after starting their business, Wild Culture owners Rachelle Schmidt […]
The bold, capital letters on the sign in the window of Iowa City’s Raygun are familiar, but the message, like the location across from the Ped Mall, is new: “I assure you we’re open.” Raygun, purveyor of fine T-shirts, bumper stickers and other items on which clever messages can be printed, took over the space […]
Pizza Ranch is headed south. The buffet-style restaurant will be moving from its current location in Iowa City Marketplace (formerly known as Sycamore Mall) to Gateway One Plaza, Pizza Ranch’s corporate office confirmed to Little Village. […]
Looking up from the bicycle he was working on, Brian Loring recalled the reaction he got the first time he proposed creating a volunteer-run organization that would fix up old bikes people could “check out” for a modest fee. “I think everyone thought it was kind of stupid,” Loring said. “It was sort of, ‘OK, […]
Despite its spooky-sounding name and the fact it’s in one of Iowa City’s oldest buildings, any mysterious noise heard in the Haunted Bookshop is likely the work of the shop’s cats, not ghosts. The store’s name comes from Christopher Morley’s 1919 novel, The Haunted Bookshop. The only unquiet dead in the novel are “the ghosts […]
Construction has begun on a Starbucks at Gateway One Plaza. It is the second new business this year for the strip mall at the corner of Highway 1 and Riverside Drive. Hatchet Jack’s, Iowa City’s first axe-tossing bar, is currently in the final stages of construction and will open soon. The new store will be […]
Forty years ago this month, a small group of Mennonite women opened Crowded Closet Thrift Store in Iowa City. What they hoped to achieve is reflected in the motto on the sign at the Gilbert Court store: “A world of difference.” Proceeds from Crowded Closet go to public service organizations, including Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), […]
A dart, a bowling ball and a hatchet — one of these things is not like the others. But that’s about to change, according to Nick Carroll. Carroll is one of the owners of Hatchet Jack’s, a hatchet-tossing bar that will be taking over the space at Gateway One Plaza on Highway 1 that was […]
Paul’s Discount is closing its store on Hwy. 1 after 37 years of providing Iowa City with everything from plumbing supplies to baseballs. […]
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30th Century Bicycle owner Steve Goetzelman announced on his Facebook profile today that he plans to close his popular downtown Iowa City bike shop on Valentine’s Day. The business has offered new and used bikes, accessories and repairs since it opened on Earth Day 2009. […]