Three years after starting their Trolley Pub La Crosse in downtown La Crosse, Scott and Kim Gumz have started their Tiki Pub La Crosse party boat, which operates from a boat dock behind Moxie’s at the AmericInn hotel at 1835 Rose St. on the North Side of La Crosse.

Meanwhile, look for a 608 Brewing Co. taproom, Omega Bakery, @Kicks shoe store and Timeless Beauty medi-spa to open soon in Holmen Plaza, a new six-suite building at 103 State St. in downtown Holmen.

Also, Gundersen Health System is about to move its Holmen pharmacy from the local Festival Foods store, but that space soon will be occupied by a Caribou Coffee location. And the Resting Grounds Coffee Shop in La Crosse has initiated regular hours to draw the general public.

The Gumzes describe their Trolley Pub, which began operating in 2020, as a BYOB (bring-your-own-booze), pedal-powered, pub-crawling trolley for up to 16 people. They bought a franchise for the Trolley Pub, and later bought a franchise for their new Tiki Pub party boat, which began operating in June on the Black River.

The tropical-themed BYOB boat has a thatched roof and is booked for private tours by groups of up to 12 passengers. Two crew members are provided — a licensed captain who operates the boat and a party captain who “gets the party going, keeps people having fun, takes pictures,” Scott Gumz said.

A cooler with ice is provided, as are three games — flip cup, cornhole and beer pong. “We also do beach tours if they want to go to the beach,” Gumz said.

“If requested, the captain will identify and stop at safe spots where passengers can go down the water slide or step off the boat to swim,” Gumz said. Most bookings are for two-hour trips, but some groups book three-hour tours.

“Corporate outings have been really popular” on the Tiki Pub, Gumz said. “So have team-building events, birthday parties, bachelor or bachelorette parties, family reunions and other family outings. We’re in the business of having fun.”

Depending on the weather, Gumz said, the Tiki Pub probably will operate a week or two into October. He hopes to begin the boat’s 2024 season in May.

For more information, call 608-799-2493 or visit www.tikipub.com/lacrosse or Facebook.

The new Holmen Plaza building was built at the former Holmen public library site by Chad and Karen McCathie, who have an office in one of its six suites. Chad McCathie said he is negotiating with a prospective tenant for the last available suite. Karen McCathie also owns Moxy Salon & Spa and the Shiny Objects Boutique, both in a building next door at 311 S. Main St.

One of the suites in the new building will be occupied by 608 Brewing Co.’s second taproom, which will feature beer brewed at its craft brewery, which opened in 2018 at 83 Copeland Ave. in La Crosse. Brewery co-owner Phil Humphrey said he hopes to open the new taproom in two to three months “as long as we can get all the licensing in that time.”

The taproom will have a small kitchen. “The plan is to have small items that would be shareable,” Humphrey said of the food. “We are not planning on being a full-service restaurant.”

The new Holmen taproom will have two patios, including a rooftop patio; a room for private events and a small kitchen. “We live in Holmen and currently there isn’t a place in Holmen focused on craft beer,” Humphrey said of the decision to open the taproom. “Plus, we want Holmen to have more things to do.” For updates, visit 608 Brewing’s Facebook page.

Sarah and Rick Burns plan to open their Omega Bakery soon in Holmen Plaza. It has been a home-based business until now.

“We are a dedicated gluten-free bakery that also specializes in other allergy baking,” Sarah Burns said. “We have been selling at three different local farmers markets, other events and pop-up locations, and we take custom orders.”

Some of Omega Bakery’s most popular products are scones, gourmet cookies, breads, cinnamon rolls, pies and doughnuts, Burns said. “We wanted to be located in Holmen – this is the community where we chose to move to and raise our children in,” she said of deciding to open in Holmen Plaza. For updates on the bakery, visit its Facebook page.

Andy Hauser and his son, Taj, will open their new @Kicks shoe store soon in Holmen Plaza.

Their store will have a variety of the hottest-selling kinds of shoes for men, women and children, priced at $50 and above, Hauser said. And there will be some high-end collector shoes at the store, which also will sell apparel, including new, vintage and retro-style clothing, and sports memorabilia.

“There’s nothing like it in this area,” Hauser said of @Kicks.

The store won’t be selling dress shoes, said Hauser, who lives in Holmen. For more information, visit the store’s Instagram page.

Jen Hanson soon will open a new medi-spa, Timeless Beauty, in part of Holmen Plaza. “It will offer services such as Botox treatments, Star Cryo T-shock body contouring including fat removal, cellulite reduction, skin tightening and toning, aswell as anti-aging/skin rejuvenating treatments on face/neck and décolletage,” she said.

“Varying levels of chemical peels along with laser therapy will be coming soon,” said Hanson, who is a family nurse practitioner and Holmen native.

Elsewhere in Holmen, Gundersen Health System announced this week that its Holmen pharmacy will be closed on Saturday, Sept. 9, as staff members move the pharmacy from the Festival Foods store at 123 Hale Drive to its new home at the Gundersen Holmen Clinic in Holmen Square at 500 N. Holmen Drive.

Meanwhile, a Caribou Coffee is expected to open in November in the former pharmacy space in the grocery store.

According to a Gundersen press release, the Holmen pharmacy will operate as normal on Friday, Sept. 8, then will resume regular business hours on Monday, Sept. 11, in its new space. Hours are 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 2 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

The size of the pharmacy will increase to allow it to bolster its over-the-counter medication selection, and it will have a dedicated immunization room just in time for flu season, Gundersen said. The new space also will have dedicated parking for curbside pickup. It will continue to offer free home delivery and mailing of prescription medicines.

“The pharmacy will serve Gundersen and non-Gundersen patients alike and will partner with the Gundersen Holmen Clinic to make this a one-stop shop for your health care needs,” said Marc Ertz, Gundersen Pharmacy clinical manager and pharmacist.

The Resting Grounds Coffee Shop in the Amtrak depot building at 601 St. Andrew St. in La Crosse, has started regular hours to draw the general public.

The coffee shop is operated by the Horizon Christian Fellowship of La Crosse church, which also is in the depot building. “It’s an extension of ministry” for the church, said Corey Lahr, the coffee shop’s manager. “It’s a tool and venue to share the love of Christ.”

In the recent past, Lahr said, The Resting Grounds had been open before and after Wednesday and Sunday church services. But since July 25, it has regular hours of 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and also is open before and after church services. “We wanted to make it more accessible to the public,” Lahr said of adding regular hours.

The Resting Grounds offers a variety of coffee and tea beverages, and soon will be selling baked goods from the Bluebird Bakery & Cafe in La Crosse.

For more information about the coffee shop, call 608-782-0896 or visit https://horizonlacrosse.org/resting-grounds or Facebook.