After Losing Lease, Bay View’s Semolina Looking For New Home
Business will operate in its home through January.
Andy and Petra Orlowski, co-owners of Semolina. Photo taken April 30, 2025 by Sophie Bolich.
On Sept. 1, Petra Orlowski received a text message. It came from the property manager of the building where her pasta and pantry shop, Semolina, is located.
“The text said he was going to stop by with our notice to vacate,” Orlowski told Urban Milwaukee. “It was a really bad day.”
Orlowski opened Semolina with her husband, Andy, at 2474 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. in Bay View in 2021. The shop specializes in Orlowski’s handcrafted pasta varieties, unique food products from small producers around the world, and hosting popular handmade pasta classes.
According to Orlowski, Semolina has to vacate because the property’s new owner plans to raze it and the property next door for a new development.
“We have to upend our entire business,” said Orlowski. “I know new owners can do what they want with their property, but we didn’t think we were going to have to move.”
According to city records, the property was sold in May by Lee Barczak, who owns the Avalon Theater across the street.
“I have not a clue what [the new owner is] planning on putting up. They just said they are taking the buildings down,” said Orlowski.
Shocked and upset, Orlowski was told Semolina had to vacate by Dec. 31, requiring the couple to pack up during the height of the holiday season.
“A few days later, I asked if they would consider giving us through January so that we could be open through our busiest month of the year,” Orlowski said. “They agreed to it.”
Semolina will be open through New Year’s Eve. Cooking classes will remain open through December. “Come and see us. Maybe have a glass of wine with us,” Orlowski said.
The couple isn’t planning on allowing the involuntary vacancy to shutter their business. They have already begun looking for a new home. The problem, though, said Orlowski, is finding a property with a commercial kitchen.
Ideally, the couple would like to stay in Bay View, where they both grew up.
“My grandparents moved to Bay View in the late ’40s, early ’50s. My mom grew up in Bay View. I grew up in Bay View. My kids grew up in Bay View. It’s just home. It’s not like we picked the trendy place to be. It’s where we’ve always been,” Orlowski said.
Orlowski noted that she worked at the Avalon Theater during the COVID-19 pandemic and has “to give thanks to Lee [Barczak] and his wife Jane” for leasing them Semolina’s first space while Barczak owned the property.
Since the news of the storefront’s closing broke, Orlowski said they have received “so much support.”
“It’s been humbling,” she said. “People are very much hoping for us to find a place. Some have called to tell us about places for sale they have seen. It’s been sad and a disappointment for our customers and friends, but we’ve received so many well wishes and positive messages.”
Semolina is open for another three months, Wednesday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. You can find Semolina at the South Shore Farmers Market on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon.
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