Business changes Look for new owners, partners
Drew and Kara Armstrong are selling their Elkader business, Drew’s Sports Bar and Grill. It will open under new management on October 1.
Dr. Bruce Landis is entering into a new partnership that will ensure full-time eye care services for his patients as he enters semi-retirement.
Beth Rentschler, pictured above with her daughter, Stacey, is closing the doors of her business, Elkader Carpet and Design.
By Pam Reinig
Register Editor
Change is coming to the south end of Elkader’s business district as one business changes hands, another closes and a third takes on a new partner.
Drew’s Sports Bar and Grill will soon have a new owner. Drew and Kara Armstrong announced the sale of their business at a gathering Saturday night. The new owner is Mark Lee of Muscatine. He takes over October 1; the Armstrongs will serve their last customers on September 23.
“We’d been talking about doing something different but we didn’t really have a plan,” said Drew. “But Mark expressed an interest and we thought it was better to sell when we weren’t quite ready but had a buyer than hoping for a buyer when we were ready to sell.”
Meeting the demands of a growing family also contributed to the couple’s decision. All three of their daughters are in school and their oldest, Oakley, is already busy with sports. This summer, she played on a traveling softball team. Games were on Wednesdays and Sundays when the bar is closed but the Armstrongs knew that work and sports schedules wouldn’t coincide forever.
“We really appreciate the support we’ve received from the community but we just knew decisions would get tougher as the girls got older,” Drew said.
Drew said Lee’s current plan is to keep the bar’s name and menu.
Drew has been in the bar-restaurant business since 2006 when he opened a place at 108 West Bridge Street behind Pedretti’s bakery. After the 2008 flood, the couple bought the building at their current location. Originally a garage and auto showroom, the building was constructed in 1948 and was known as the Cheeseman Building. Louise McTaggart bought the building in the ‘50s for her furniture store. When that business closed, the space was used by the Elkader Fitness Center.
Drew and Kara have yet to settle on future plans, though both intend to work at the bar-restaurant during the immediate transition period.
Elkader Carpet and Design is closing its doors. A going-out-of-business sale is currently underway.
After serving the Elkader area for more than 35 years, Dr. Bruce Landis is entering semi-retirement. He will see patients in Elkader two days a week, beginning October 1. However, the clinic will be fully staffed all week, thanks to a new partnership with Woodland Eye Clinic. The partnership also includes the clinics in West Union and Guttenberg, which Dr. Landis established in 1990 and 1984, respectively.
“We are excited to bring together these top quality, established practices to deliver the best eye care for patients and the communities we serve now and into the future,” said Dr. Landis. “Group practices like these have become a common practice mode for the delivery of eye care. It provides a sharing and expansion of expertise and resources.”
“We will work with our patients to make the integration as smooth as possible. Patients will have the same access to our providers and receive the highest standard of eye care they have come to expect and trust,” he continued.
Joining The Woodland Eye Clinic team is Dr. Corey Kelly, OD, formerly of Kelly Eye Care in Dubuque. Dr. Kelly has served the Dubuque area for the last 15 years. She will see patients in Dyersville, Elkader and Guttenberg starting October 2. Dr. Kelly will also served as vice president of the Woodland Eye Clinics; president is Dr. Joshua Woodland.
Also joining the Woodland Eye Clinic is Dr. Amanda Korth, OD. She will serve patients starting October 2, in West Union and Elkader.
After 20 years of dedicated service to West Union and the surrounding area, Dr. Michael Ohlson accepted a position as chief optometrist at Avera Health Systems in Marshall, MN, which also was a factor in the consolidation of services under a new partnership. Dr. Landis would like to thank Dr. Ohlson for his excellent patient care in West Union and his dedication to the profession of optometry by serving on numerous state and national boards and committees.
