The entrepreneurial journey for Tim McGuire has been filled with exciting moments and has recently come with growth into a retail storefront at The Shoppes on 2nd . Tim's company, Wild Cherry Spoon Co. is the newest addition to the...

Along with their reputation as the best record shop in the Quad Cities, Ragged Records & Music literally, and figuratively, brings the music back to downtown Rock Island.   When asked how he decided on downtown Rock Island for a second location,...

The Holiday Inn Hotel and Conference Center located in the heart of downtown Rock Island just completed a more than $5 million full renovation earlier this year. The renovations include refreshed guest rooms, state-of-the-art meeting space, indoor pool, fitness center,...

Skateboarding is like a never-ending puzzle with a ton of variations and combinations. You can do the same trick over and over, but it’ll never feel the same.    Quad City area native James “Sean” Farley Jr. first got into skateboarding around...

WORDS & PICTURES Erik Reader Much to the delight of their patrons, not a month goes by without another noteworthy beer hitting the Wake Brewing menu board. The Brothers Parris are constantly busy at work brewing up new creations that keep the...

Words & Pictures: Erik Hansen In October 2018, Tim Johnson, owner of Mellow Blue Planet Comics and Collectibles, will celebrate his 18th year in business and 15th year located in downtown Rock Island. “We were a bit hesitant to move our business...

WORDS & PICTURES Contributed by Look Better Center Looking our very best is almost every person’s goal, especially when it comes to the time in our lives when we began to show our age. The Look Better Center is conveniently located in...

WORDS & PICTURES Beth Payne & Erik Reader Jodie Kavensky was inspired to create public awareness, promote early detection, and support research for ovarian cancer after losing her mother, Norma and her Aunt Leah to ovarian cancer. “I couldn’t save their lives,...

WORDS & PICTURES Erik Reader The fast success of the bridal and formalwear shop has led to a recent expansion of its storefront and exponential growth of the business. "I set the bar too high sometimes," exclaims Sheleigh Martin, owner of Celebrate. No,...

WORDS & PICTURES Downtown Rock Island Partnership The Shoppes on 2nd is a retail incubator located a 1700 2nd Ave. in downtown Rock Island. Many communities have created retail “incubators” as a means of nurturing new businesses, affording them the opportunity to...