SUPERIOR TELEGRAM | Friday, October 29, 2021
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| Superior Happenings | 1
SUPERIOR HAPPENINGS
Jed Carlson / jcarlson@superiortelegram.com
Wes Vann, owner of Wildflower Bicycles, stands in the doorway of his shop at 625 Hughitt Ave. in Superior Wednesday, June 9, 2021.
Jed Carlson / Superior Telegram
Fall colors and the Minong flowage can be seen through the mist from the Gordon Fire Tower during an open house Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021.
GORDON AIRBNB PROMISES
BUSINESS BOOM
towering views I
Superior Telegram n the last few months, the business scene in Superior has expanded. Since the end of May, 11 new businesses have opened, two are under new ownership and one has moved to a new location. A staple for many businesses in the community, the Wisconsin Small Business Development Center also moved. Know of a business we missed? Let us know by emailing editorial@ superiortelegram.com.
By Maria Lockwood Superior Telegram
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t the intersection of nonprofit and Airbnb rests a piece of Douglas County’s Northwoods history. Since Memorial Day weekend, the Gordon Fire Tower has welcomed dozens of visitors to the area. They played cards in the rustic cabin, roasted marshmallows over the fire pit, toured local parks and caught sunsets from the cab of the 100-foot tower — all for $99 per night. Visitors have left glowing reviews. The cabin/tower combo has been called cute, peaceful, unique and breathtaking. “By far one of the coolest trips we’ve booked through Airbnb,” wrote a September guest. Although being handed the keys to their own private fire tower is part of the site’s allure, not everyone rises to the challenge. “Some people haven’t made it all the way up,” said property manager Jesse Smith. “That’s the first thing I ask them on the day they’re checking out, if they made it to the top. And some of them haven’t. It’s pretty high up there.” Even those who make it up three or four flights get some great views, he said. Smith said the site is booked through Halloween, at which point it will close for the winter. The majority of people who have reserved stays are from out of the area. They learned about it through Facebook, Reddit and news stories. “There’s a lot of people from Milwaukee
Superior welcomes new businesses
Wisconsin Small Business Development Center
Suite 129 in Old Main, 1710 Weeks Ave., is now home to the Wisconsin Small Business Development Center at the University of Wisconsin-Superior.
Wildflower Bicycles
Jed Carlson / Superior Telegram
Visitors take photos of the Gordon Fire Tower during an open house Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021. and the (Twin) Cities that have come up,” Smith said Oct. 3. “The people that just left today were from Milwaukee.
They loved it.” The Gordon Fire Tower is owned and operated by the Friends of the Bird Sanctuary. It was decommissioned in 2015 and set to be
razed until efforts to save the tower were launched in 2017. Momentum has been growing ever since.
FIRE TOWER: Page 4
After learning how to build custom bicycle frames, Wes Vann started tinkering. The result was Wildflower Bicycles, a small, custom bike manufacturer that operates out of the Superior Business Development annex facility, 625 Hughitt Ave. While Vann primarily builds mountain bikes and all-road drop bar bikes, he said he can build almost anything a customer wants. “The bikes are built for riding around here,” Vann said. “That’s the riding I do and I’m familiar with. I kind of design things around our regional riding opportunities.”
Sutherland CBD
The sale of the previous location prompted the Sutherland family to consider moving their CBD shop.
In May, they made it official, and opened Sutherland CBD at 1420 Belknap St. The new location puts the business in a great downtown spot with parking right out front, said brand manager Craig Sutherland. “I love the location,” he said.
Fraser Shipyards
One of Superior’s oldest businesses came under new ownership in June. The 133-year-old Fraser Shipyards was purchased by Cleaves Invest, out of Norway, and Chicago-based Foundry Mountain Infrastructure Partners. The joint venture is known as Infrastructure Acquisition Partners. Fraser had been under the Duluthbased Capstan Corp. since 1977.
StoneHouse Martial Arts
StoneHouse Martial Arts opened a Superior location at 1202 Belknap St., in June. Joe Tilander runs the location, which offers pre-skill karate classes for children ages 3-6, introductory to advanced karate for youth, and karate for teens and adults of all ranks. Tilander also teaches a kyusho program, where participants can learn the 14 main meridians, point location, martial application of the points and their healing properties. “Since I was a kid, I was always more interested in the more natural types of healing,” Tilander said.
The Wildflower Boutique
The Wildflower Boutique has traveled since Tiffany Simons first opened the store in her hometown of Hibbing, Minnesota, in 2017.
BUSINESS: Page 6