Biz brief: Pizza parlor begins selling wine, beer

Nathaniel Dahlman is ready to call DeLeo Bros. Pizza "an official pizza parlor" after gaining approval from the Woodbury City Council to sell wine and beer.

Dahlman, who opened his doors on Bielenberg Drive in April, said he searched for a place to make pizzas and serve his grandfather's spaghetti and meatballs recipe for about three years before settling in Woodbury. He found the location, near Akita Sushi and the Woodbury Cafe, on Craigslist in January.

"We're passionate about our pizza recipe and our excessive use of garlic," he said.

The council approved Dahlman's on-sale wine and beer license at its July 28 meeting, and Dahlman began serving on Aug. 1.

The pizza parlor has 15 part-time employees in addition to Dahlman and his wife, Krista Dahlman.

Dahlman said he has tried to give the restaurant a traditional pizzeria feel and offers arcade games like Ms. Pac-Man and Frogger.

Mixed martial arts studio proves popular Nate Kleinfeld, 25, said he wasn't anticipating a 100-hour work week when he opened a small mixed martial arts studio with his father in Woodbury last month. He's the sole administrator and manages 40 students and three instructors, while also teaching classes in Muay Thai kickboxing, boxing and jujitsu.

Kleinfeld said he chose Woodbury for his studio because he didn't know of many other mixed martial arts studios in the area.

Wine bar instructed to remove concrete The owners of Swirl Wine Bar received a 60-day extension to come up with a plan to remove the excess concrete from their newly installed patio at the July 20 city council meeting, said assistant city administrator Sara Irvine.

Swirl opened in April in The Shops at the Afton House Inn on South St. Croix Trail, but the concrete the owners poured for their patio was not a part of the building plan, which was originally approved in 2002, Irvine said.

At the Sept. 21 council meeting, the owners will have to present their plans to bring the patio into compliance with city codes, she said.

Walt's Wine & Spirits opening 2nd shop Walt's Wine and Spirits will expand from its first location in Shoreview and open a second shop in Oakdale in mid- to late August.

Fleet Farm to install digital gas price sign The Mills Fleet Farm will install a new digital gas prices sign at the Gas Mart at its Oakdale location this fall. The Oakdale City Council approved a one-time-special use permit July 27 to replace a nearly 20-year-old gas prices sign.

The company hasn't set an installation date; the sign will be similar to one at the Blaine location.