Difficult times for small local businesses

I am very sad to hear that Beans & Barley will be closing its doors next month. The restaurant has been a fixture of Milwaukee’s East Side for decades and will be sorely missed.

Even more troubling is the news that Beans & Barley is not the only business in this situation. In recent years, we have seen many local businesses struggle. Pomona Cider Co. has also announced it will be closing by the end of the year, and several other businesses along E. North Ave. have been facing some difficult times.

The struggles experienced by these businesses are another symptom of the unaffordability crisis we all face today. Ever-increasing housing prices, the rising cost of basic items — and more recently the tariffs enacted by the Trump administration — have all taken their toll on our wallets. As our cost of living continues to rise, more people find they can’t afford to patronize our community’s small, local businesses — businesses who are often facing these same financial strains, leading many of them to fold under pressure from large, corporate enterprises.

If we want to see the local businesses in our community thrive, we need to create an economy that works for the average person: We need to lower the cost of housing; we need to establish stronger tenant protections, ensuring that people have money left over after rent and aren’t worried about being kicked out of their homes; and we need everyone in our city to be paid a fair and living wage — a wage that allows them to not just survive, but to thrive.

While these issues may seem overwhelming, there is still so much we can do if we organize. I encourage everyone to organize for a better world, and one place you can start is within your workplace. Join a union and band together with your fellow workers to fight for a fair and living wage for all — a wage that will give you the extra cash to patronize the businesses you love and want to support.

And while we fight for these systemic changes, please support our local businesses whenever you are able. We all want to see more mom-and-pops and fewer Walmarts and Amazons.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.