Fond du Lac Streetwise: Downtown Fond du Lac awards, new Two Men and a Truck and a spa
FOND DU LAC – As the flowers grow this spring, so too do Fond du Lac businesses.
Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership announced its new business, legacy and renovation awards from 2022, not long before the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation will present its own Main Street Awards April 21 in La Crosse, and recognized the people and businesses that are making a difference to Fond du Lac's downtown vibrancy.
Fond du Lac now also has its own Two Men and a Truck location — adding to the area's slate of moving and storage services — as well as a new spa featuring CBD facials.
Here's what's new in the Fond du Lac area.
Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership recognizes its businesses, supporters in annual awards
Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership last month recognized several downtown businesses and achievements at its annual meeting.
Last year, the downtown area welcomed 32 new businesses, an increase from 20 in 2021, and the downtown vacancy dropped from 10.2% a decade ago to the current 3.7%.
The first of the partnership's annual awards recognizes businesses that have improved the downtown sector's aesthetic appeal. The 2023 exterior design of the year award went to Copper Cock Tavern for enhancing the building's natural architecture and design while fitting in with its recently renovated neighbors.
Owners Bekki Fishelson-Kuber and Vince Kuber renovated the building last summer through winter and opened the tavern at the end of January.
LEB Properties won interior design of the year for its two-year work at 21 E. Second St., which houses some offices for LEB Insurance Group and Fond du Lac Area Business of Health. The building was originally built in 1922 and construction finished by its 100th birthday.
The community can nominate favorite new businesses, and this year, due to the community's enthusiasm, two businesses won the new business of the year award: Hang 10 Poke, which moved from a shared kitchen to its own location last December, and Fondy Axe Company, which opened Oct. 1 with casual and competitive axe throwing.
Hotel Retlaw earned the Downtown Legacy Award, which is given to businesses that have been downtown for at least 50 years. The hotel originally opened 100 years ago, and its most recent renovation and reopening was in 2019. A number of other businesses now reside in the hotel, including Table One restaurant, One Main Café, Beauty Republic Salon and, its newest addition, Indigo Blue Boutique.
Mike Leb, president of LEB Insurance Group, earned the 2022 Friend of Downtown award for his work in redeveloping downtown properties and adding to the area's vibrancy. In addition, he serves on the Board of Directors for Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts and Envision Greater Fond du Lac.
Finally, the 2021 Volunteer of the Year award was given to Pete Wilke, the executive director for Fond du Lac Festivals, which puts on the city's annual Walleye Weekend and Sturgeon Spectacular. He also serves on the partnership's marketing committee and has volunteered for events such as the Monster March, the Night Market and Fondue Fest, while assisting with various event registrations.
Upcoming events downtown include the city's first-ever Beer & Seltzer Crawl on Saturday, and the farmers market kicks off May 20.
MORE: Wisconsin-based Froedtert Health and ThedaCare to combine in latest hospital consolidation
Two Men and a Truck expands to Fond du Lac after franchisee wins scholarship
National moving company Two Men and a Truck, whose closest location used to be Appleton, now has a Fond du Lac location as of early March, under 26-year-old franchise owner Cody Napoli.
Napoli was working as an assistant operations manager at one of the company's Milwaukee locations when he found information on Two Men and a Truck's Moving People Forward scholarship, which was created by the company's founder, Mary Ellen, to support existing managers in becoming franchisees.
Two Men and a Truck provides local or long-distance moving, as well as short-term, long-term and portable storage. The new location services Fond du Lac, Waupun, Campbellsport, Ripon, Lomira, Beaver Dam and Mount Calvary. For more information, visit twomenandatruck.com/movers/wi/fond-du-lac.
New spa Ruhe 756 offers CBD facials among variety of services
Ruhe 756, 928 S. Main St., Suite 200, also opened in early March and offers spa services for many ages and target goals, including teen facials, microderm abrasion and acne, redness or stress relief facials — all of which utilize cannabidiol, also known as CBD, from the brand Color Up.
According to its website, Ruhe 756 is the only spa in the area to offer CBD facials, and the Color Up brand provides professional-grade salves, serums, massage oils and more.
The spa also offers baby bump facials to reduce dryness and itchiness and prevent stretch marks, tween facials without CBD for younger ones to enjoy some pampering, waxing and lash lifts.
Learn more at ruhe756llc.glossgenius.com or search "Ruhe 756" on Facebook.
Contact Daphne Lemke at dlemke@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter at @daphlemke.
This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: Fond du Lac Streetwise: Downtown awards, new moving service and a spa
