Harbor District Cafe Will Close
After seven months under new operators, Wantable Cafe will close on Dec. 31.
Wantable Cafe, 123 E. Walker St. Photo taken February 7th, 2021 by Jeramey Jannene. All Rights Reserved.
Wantable Cafe has existed at the intersection of corporate and community since its 2021 inception, first serving as a headquarters for employees of the eponymous styling company before opening to the public for coffee, snacks and co-working space.
Now, it’s saying goodbye.
The cafe is set to close later this month, concluding service at 1 p.m. on Dec. 31. But Experience Milwaukee, which took over operations last spring, remains committed to the neighborhood, founder Steve Glynn wrote in an online post Wednesday.
In addition to continued development of the nascent innovation district, Glynn shared plans to activate a new Wantable building on S. 1st St., just west of the current cafe at 123 E. Walker St.
“We’ll take what we learned over the last eight months and improve,” he wrote, noting a target opening date for the new space on April 14, 2026—or 414 Day in Milwaukee.
The organization is now seeking an operating partner to manage food and beverage services, while Experience Milwaukee focuses on “community curation.”
Meanwhile, Glynn and his business partner, Adam Derus, continue to run Experience Milwaukee as a local media brand, primarily a podcast.
Though Glynn said the cafe didn’t pan out exactly as he envisioned, he has “no regrets” and remains thankful for the experience.
“When something this big and this public doesn’t work out the way you’d like, it’s tough. But I’d rather be here today knowing we gave it a shot and we gave it all we had. That’s what building is about.”
He also expressed gratitude for the business’s employees, customers and partners. “For now, I’m grateful for my team who made our cafe what it was, for Wantable’s partnership, and for every one of YOU who walked through that damn heavy front door and made the cafe come alive!”
Wantable Cafe offers a full range of coffee and espresso beverages, along with Rishi Tea, matcha, juice and smoothies. Bakery items and packaged snacks are also available.
The cafe is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to its website.
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