Davenport revitalization: ‘East 2nd Street is going to look completely different’ – Muscatine Journal

It's a membership-based cigar lounge that also is open to the public. It's open daily, and members have their own key fob for 24-hour access. "It has the feeling of a very upscale, cozy, inviting place to spend time," Stopulos said.

"There's just a lot going on," he said, summing up projects in the works in downtown Davenport.

And because several of these projects are geared toward experiences rather than shopping, "it's going to be a totally different retail experience," he said.

"It really is making East Second Street a destination experience."

Because all of the projects are scheduled for 2021 openings, Stopulos expects they will tap into a lot of pent-up demand for something to do after months of COVID-19 restrictions.

As Carter said: "A year from now, downtown Davenport is going to look a lot different."

If you like craft beer and haven't been to Geneseo, Illinois, since the Lionstone brewery closed, you owe it to yourself to go for a drive.

New owner Richard Schwab has changed the business so much you'll hardly recognize it, beginning with the name, which is Great Revivalist Brew Lab.

The "lab" refers to its specialization in micro brews currently 24 on tap and that it offers the public the opportunity to use its equipment to make their own beer which Great Revivalist will put in a keg or in cans.

Schwab sees this as a great opportunity for people to make their own beer for special occasions such as weddings or 21st birthdays or, really, anytime.

As for its own micro brews, it emphasizes "crazy, different, off-the-wall" beers, Schwab said. Last week he was working on one that incorporates toasted bread. For those with more conventional tastes, he sells Pabst Blue Ribbon and Hamm's.

The brew lab also offers what he describes as an "upscale but affordable, family-friendly" food menu, with such offerings as woodfire pizza and smoked brisket.

In addition to beer, Schwab has added homemade sodas, such as grape, orange, cream and ginger beer all of which taste great over ice cream, he points out.

The decor is all different, too, beginning with the planting of hops a key ingredient in beer all around the outside of the building to create an out-in-the-country feel.

In redecorating, he used wood salvaged from a barn in West Branch, Iowa, and there is a gazebo made from an actual grain bin that overlooks Geneseo Creek.

Because of restrictions surrounding COVID-19 that may be around for awhile, he has built a 25x65-foot patio in back for outdoor dining. He also is installing greenhouse like structures around tables with a fire pit so that they can be used even when weather turns cold.

There also are igloos.

And because the dining is outside, it's also dog-friendly.

Another touch was the hiring of a local artist to create a mural in the back.

Even more than a brewery or restaurant, Schwab wants to make his business "a destination location for Geneseo."

"We're very proud of what we're doing."

Schwab is a former telephone and cable company executive from Seattle who decided about two years ago to leave the corporate world to start his own business.

The brew lab is located off Interstate 80 at 122 S. Oakwood Ave. The phone number is 309-944-5466.

In addition, Schwab is buying the Great River Brewery in Davenport and hopes to re-open it it's been closed since the 2019 Mississippi River flood in early 2021 as the Great Revivalist Brewery.

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Davenport revitalization: 'East 2nd Street is going to look completely different' - Muscatine Journal