Do It Yourself

It’s Sunday, August 14, and for some a day of rest, preferably outside under a buttermilk sky. On floor two in Wisconsin Avenue’s historic and elegant 1916 Plankinton Building, ThirdCoast Digest staffers and assorted helpers are stripping striped wallpaper, patching, painting, and planning for their move scheduled to be sooner rather than later. Let’s say by the end of August.

Formerly occupied by Ravi Leather, much of the interior shelving will be recycled and/or given to those who will use it.

Mark Wenzel, a Lutheran pastor just returned from the Iowa Ragbrai bicycle event, is up on a tall ladder doing his DIY thing.

Jon Anne Willow, the online publication’s fuel behind the move, shows me the space, and it’s easy to envision how it will shape up when filled with staffers working at their computers. Their efforts signal signs of life where once there was none.

The view from up here is glorious. Plenty of sunlight streaming through the rotunda skylight to the south, or if you prefer, you can peer over the brass railing and see what the folks from the Milwaukee Public Theatre are up to. Inside of TCD’s about-to-be newly leased space, staff and visitors can gaze out through expanses of glass, and those passing by will also be able to see that changes are blowing in the wind behind the glass where TCD produces their daily.

There are signs of life on this floor and what could be luckier than having Dalys Pen Shop as a next-door neighbor? After all, words aren’t writ only via computer. The die-hards among us still use pens now and then. The rent is said to be quite reasonable, the reason being the Plankinton people are creating pockets of space for the creative among us. I have my eye on a 342 ft. space — perfect for a “writers’ camp.” In fact, I think it should be called “Writers’ Camp.” The more the merrier.

This is what really defines “growth” in our economy. Entrepreneurs who create jobs are every bit as valuable as corporations.