City-Owned Building Could Become Dessert Shop
Proposal would transform former barber shop into a neighborhood bakery.
1100 W. North Ave. in 2022. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
A tumbledown building at 1100 W. North Ave. has sat vacant for more than two years — its windows boarded up and landscaping overgrown.
But the future looks sweet.
Tashana Windhom Prescott is seeking approval to purchase the city-owned property, with plans to open Baked MKE Dessert Bar in its first-level retail space.
Prescott brings more than two decades of culinary experience to the venture, which would focus on Southern-style desserts like banana pudding, peach cobbler, caramel cakes and more. She plans to utilize family recipes at the future business, described as a “small neighborhood bakery.”
The two-story building, formerly home to Upper Cutz barber shop, is situated on a 3,960-square-foot lot and includes a three-bedroom residential apartment on its upper level. It was acquired by the City of Milwaukee through property tax foreclosure in 2014 and has since fallen into disrepair, requiring extensive interior and exterior renovations prior to reopening.
Prescott would pay $7,500 for the 2,594-square-foot building and invest approximately $117,000 in property improvements, with years of deferred maintenance requiring “a total interior rehab,” along with minor foundation repairs and roof restoration, according to a land disposition report.
Prescott plans to complete a portion of the work through “sweat equity,” cutting down on the project’s total cost. Plans also call for new wood siding, electrical and plumbing upgrades, bathroom updates, new mechanicals, security systems, ceiling work and equipment installation for the future bakery.
Partial renderings show the storefront reimagined with large, street-facing windows and sidewalk dining.
The report notes that Prescott has secured financing from a local lender for the renovations, which are expected to conclude by Nov. 18, 2026. This would be Prescott’s first purchase and renovation of a city commercial building.
The city’s Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee is set to review the proposal next week. It then heads to the full Milwaukee Common Council for a final decision.
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