What businesses did we lose in 2023? Here’s a list

Galena Brewing in downtown Moline closed suddenly after being open for four years. The Galena-based brewing company opened in May 2019. It was located at 1534 River Drive. 

Ashley Gendreau, one of the co-owners of Galena Brewing Company, told a reporter in January that the Moline location closed due to overhead costs and the new owners’ desire to focus on the Galena location.

Tappa’s Steakhouse in Davenport’s West end closed after 41 years. Jan and Cliff Tappa retired. The co-owners of Tappa’s Steakhouse at 1620 Rockingham Road made the announcement on Facebook and officially closed on Feb. 7.

FoodAffair in Bettendorf closed after after being open for two years. The restaurant was located at 1015 Utica Ridge Place, next to Milltown Coffee. Owners of FoodAffair Bistro posted a goodbye message on the company’s Facebook page, stating multiple reasons for the closure, such as staffing shortages, after effects of the pandemic and rising costs.  

Located at 4514 9th St., Rock Island, City Limits Saloon & Grill closed on April 1. The restaurant and bar owners made the announcement on Facebook.

The Bierstube in LeClaire closed after the owners, Dieter and Nancy Rebitzer retired after 22 years in the business. The two owned three Bierstube restaurants — one in Davenport, Moline and LeClaire. The LeClaire location was the last one standing and opened in 2009. It was located at 1001 Canal Shore Drive. 

Pedal Pub closed at the end of August. They announced the closure on the Quad Cities Pedal Pub Instagram (@qcpedalpub). 

The announcement stated: “It’s been a great four years growing our business in the Quad Cities! Unfortunately, this operation will come to a close on Aug. 31. Please know that the inconvenience to our customers is unintentional. We appreciate the love and support from the QC and surrounding areas; thank you for your business!” 

Rock Island Brewing Co., more affectionately known as RIBCO, turned the lights off in mid-December. Owner Terry Tilka announced he was retiring after more than 40 years in the bar/restaurant business. 

The Combine Grill in Davenport closed in May. It was located at 5266 Utica Ridge Road and opened in February 2022. The business announced the closure on Facebook with no other details for the sudden closure. 

Steve’s Belgrade at 2431 16th St., Moline, closed and the building demolished after an April 2023 storm caused considerable damage to the building. Moline Building Official Drake Daley told the Quad-City Times/Dispatch-Argus earlier this year that bar owner Stephen Vance owns the property and made the decision to demolish. 

Playmakers Sports Bar and Grill closed in the late summer/early fall. The city of Rock Island stripped owner Michelle Veasey of her liquor license, which led to a dispute and Veasey and her son, Dominique Blanks, calling out city officials for discrimination. Veasey opened the bar and grill in 2021. 

Bike & Hike in Rock Island closed after 49 years. 

Steve DePron was only 19 years old when he stumbled into the shop and stayed for nearly five decades. On July 29, he closed the Rock Island business. The shop was located at 3913 14th Ave.

Two CVS Pharmacy locations closed — one in Davenport at 1777 Division St. and one at 2250 41st St. in Moline.

The Artsy Bookworm in Rock Island will be closing its storefront in mid-January. It will continue online sales of books, audiobooks and yarn. Contact information will remain the same. Owner Tamara Felden made the announcement at the end of December, saying due to staffing shortages and not being able to generate the revenue needed a tough decision was made. The storefront has been open since 2021. 

Gretchen Teske, Brooklyn Draisey and Gannon Hanevold contributed to this report.