Reverie Dry Goods’ signature pieces are Henschler’s handmade Christmas stockings, created from carefully sourced materials including historic blankets, linens and quilts, and lined with satin.
Zoxx Bar owner Andy Wilson got on stage and performed “What I Got,” by Sublime with the band Party Marty and the Dirtbags, while signing the words. His mother is deaf and a member of the Janesville Deaf Club that used the bar as a meeting place.
JANESVILLE —Some stories stay with you not because of their scope, but because of the soul that embeds itself in certain spaces. This year, two of the stories I wrote that lingered long after publication were about local businesses.
Reverie Dry Goods’ signature pieces are Henschler’s handmade Christmas stockings, created from carefully sourced materials including historic blankets, linens and quilts, and lined with satin.
They were the closing of Zoxx Bar on Janesville’s south side and the opening of Reverie Dry Goods in the heart of downtown.
After operating for nearly 50 years near the gates of the former General Motors plant, Zoxx poured its final drinks this summer as the city moved forward with plans to redevelop the long-idled automaker site. On its final weekend, the bar hosted an “End of Days Party” that felt less like a farewell and more like a funeral.
Covering Zoxx’s final days meant standing in the middle of laughter, music and grief all at once. Patrons wrote messages on the walls, ceilings and floors, physical proof that the bar had been more than a place to grab a drink. For many, it was a second home, a family, and a constant presence tied tightly to Janesville’s industrial past.
Zoxx Bar owner Andy Wilson got on stage and performed “What I Got,” by Sublime with the band Party Marty and the Dirtbags, while signing the words. His mother is deaf and a member of the Janesville Deaf Club that used the bar as a meeting place.
KYLIE BALK-YAATENEN/KYLIE.BALKYAATENEN@APG-SW.COM
Zoxx welcomed countless people over the years, including members of the Janesville Deaf Club, who found a space where they could gather and truly be themselves. The owners could have opened a bar anywhere, but they chose Zoxx; and no other place could have replaced it.
The owners and bar patrons spoke about Zoxx the way you speak about a person: with love, nostalgia and a sense of loss that couldn’t be measured in square footage or redevelopment plans. It was a reminder that when familiar places disappear, something intangible goes with them.
That sense of loss was further complicated by the city’s plans to redevelop the site into a data center; a proposal that has sparked opposition and deepened emotions around what is being gained and what is being erased.
In October, I found myself covering the beginning of a new business, one where the owner’s energy stayed with me long after the story was published.
Reverie Dry Goods opened its doors on North Main Street with a very different atmosphere, but a similar emotional pull. The boutique — warm, intentional and rooted in nostalgia — reflects its owner’s belief that old things carry stories worth preserving. In a city shaped by history, it felt perfectly at home downtown.
From handmade Christmas stockings crafted from vintage fabrics to flannels that nod to Janesville’s culture, Reverie feels like an invitation to slow down.
Reporting on Reverie wasn’t just about a new business opening. It was about risk, creativity and faith in place; faith that even after COVID forced people to stay home and shop online, they still want to gather, browse, connect and feel something when they walk through a door.
These two stories resonate so deeply with me because they represent a space that is more than four walls. It’s history and years of human connection that make a space mean something. It also shows how much love and passion business owners put into their spaces.
Zoxx represented history being peeled away layer by layer by eminent domain, while Reverie represented a new beginning, something being built with intention. Rooted in memory, but looking forward.
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