Business
Fasten Closes Storefront; Sparrow Takes Flight
On April 30, Fasten Collective closed the doors to its retail space in Bay View for good. I’d heard murmurings here and there of the store closing, and like most people assumed that it was yet another beloved Milwaukee institution that sadly, fell victim to the economy. As it turns out, I was wrong. About a week prior to the actual closing, owner Janelle Gramling (and designer behind the label Little Ocean) sent out an oddly upbeat newsletter, announcing the end of Fasten’s storefront that at the same time assured friends and customers that Fasten the collective was still alive and well. While Fasten will no longer operate as a storefront, a new cooperative would move in immediately, working to uphold Fasten’s local arts mission while at the same time broadening the store’s inventory by offering wares from around the nation. Enter Sparrow Collective, the joint venture of local artist/designers Jessica Franzen and Lisa Wierzbinski. Franzen and Wierzbinski have been Fasten members since about 2007, and both sold their designs and have volunteered at the store up until now. I chatted it up with the Sparrow ladies and Fasten’s Janelle Gramling about the decision to close Fasten and what this new collective means for Milwaukee’s craft/DIY scene. TCD: What lead you to close Fasten? JG: The decision to close Fasten was a hard one to make. Myself and the member designers were really accomplishing Fasten’s mission successfully – we brought together dozens of local designers and artists, gave them the opportunity to show their work, sell their work, and participate in the gallery/retail operation. Our nurturing atmosphere was really beginning to yield some great talent, the products in the store growing more and more impressive. However, after over three years in business, the store had yet to turn a profit. It became increasingly difficult for me to keep up with the demands of overseeing the store (even with the great help of volunteer designers), and I found myself sacrificing time that I wanted to spend on my own label. I knew that there were things that had to be done to keep the store open. Bringing in designers from out of town, shifting the focus away from clothing and bringing in new more gifty items, and changing consignment rates were all ideas on the table. But I strongly felt as though those changes were all counter to Fasten’s local arts mission. TCD: How was Sparrow created? JG: Jessica and Lisa were member designers volunteering at Fasten a lot. After I started talking with the members about having a hard time keeping things together, they came to me and let me know that they were interested in starting something up. I was relieved that someone had the guts to make it happen and keep the space alive. JF: I always wanted to own my own business and once Janelle announced that she needed to leave the boutique business, We saw it has an open window to take a chance. I think […]
May 10th, 2009 by Erin Petersen
Common Council Passes Vehicle Registration Fee
Senator Russ Feingold presented his upcoming legislation which focuses on encouraging innovation, growth in small business, creating jobs in green energy, linking business with education and capitalizing on research in the fresh water science. He received input into this legislation from local business leaders, Sheldon Lubar and Joseph Zilber, with the hope of finding solutions that can work nationally but also locally in southeast Wisconsin. The other item of note was the Common Council’s vote to override Mayor Tom Barrett‘s veto of the controversial $20 vehicle registration fee. The override needed ten votes and received eleven so the vehicle registration fee will be enacted. The vehicle registration fee will eliminate assessments, which have averaged $2500 per household, related to road reconstruction projects within the City of Milwaukee.
Sep 2nd, 2008 by Dave Reid
RedPrairie Moves Further Away From Talent Sources
Red Praire's relocation story has been funny, especially now that they've finally decided to move to Delafield. To understand what's going on it appears you don't have to read between the lines, you just have to read the lines.
Aug 22nd, 2008 by Jeramey Jannene
Kohl’s Continues To Lead Retail Store Solar Power Field
Kudos to Kohl's for continuing to push the envelope by powering more and more stores with solar power.
Aug 15th, 2008 by Jeramey Jannene
Les Paul, Mike Cudahy and the Rise of the Uber Geezers
The Wizard of Waukesha is bringing his act to Milwaukee’s Pabst Theatre in June! If you don’t know the significance of that sentence then you don’t know the history of rock and roll. Les Paul, who turns 93 on June 9th, grew up in Waukesha and is probably more responsible for the popular music of our time than anyone. He is credited with inventing the design of the modern electric guitar and introducing recording techniques that revolutionized the music industry. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that when a group of Paul devotees came to Michael Cudahy with a plan to create a Paul tribute at Discovery World, the planets seemed to align. I started this column as a tribute to some extraordinary graybeards among us and this breaking news about Paul’s upcoming concert just gave me a new lede. While so many of us in Milwaukee pout about the leadership vacuum on our local scene, a handful of wealthy and accomplished elders are stepping up to the plate. First and foremost, idiosyncratic and irascible Michael Cudahy has been coming to the rescue of various struggling institutions in the city for years. Take a look at his profile in the March, 2007 issue of Milwaukee Magazine by Kurt Chandler. The man was born into one of this town’s most prestigious families but he dropped out of school and seemed destined to become the black sheep of the Cudahy clan. His story gives a 20th Century Midwestern twist to a legendary Shakespearean tale. This Prince Hal ne’er-do-well eventually launched a medical electronics firm that earned him a fortune. Ever since selling Marquette Electronics to GE, Cudahy has been dedicated to giving away millions. The Medical College of Wisconsin, MSOE, the YMCA and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee all benefited from his largesse. But Cudahy isn’t the type to just write checks. He took over the Pabst Theater, brilliantly restored it and established it as the city’s most magnificent entertainment venue. Anyone who visits Discovery World, the city’s outstanding science museum, soon realizes what an impact Michael Cudahy has had. While the building’s glorious design resulted from a conflict between the philanthropist, the neighboring Milwaukee Art Museum and city planners, the spectacular facility is a living testament to Cudahy’s vision and commitment to this region. At 84, Cudahy isn’t the oldest benefactor on the local scene. That honor probably goes to Joseph Zilber a wealthy 90-year-old developer who is engaged on a spending spree to kickstart a Milwaukee Renaissance. He stepped up to the plate when the WE Energies-sponsored proposal to redevelop the Pabst City site was rejected by the Common Council. While that project is still very much a work-in-progress, Zilber has invited criticism by replacing the Pabst sign with one featuring his name and attaching a tacky video billboard to one of the buildings. But Zilber has also announced plans to bankroll a new initiative to address the poverty and other challenges facing Milwaukee to the […]
May 23rd, 2008 by Ted Bobrow
Milwaukee Vodka Maker Moving to Walker’s Point
FO BEVERAGES A HOBBY Originally uploaded by strobist Great Lakes Distillery, Milwaukee’s local vodka distiller, is moving their operations from Capital and Holton to 616 W Virginia St in The Tannery complex of buildings. This has been picked up by a lot of other sources (including the JS, The Daily Reporter, RNN, and the Business Journal) so I’m not going to bore you with details on what it includes, but the tours sound great. I’m more concerned with what it means for the city. Guy Rehorst wanted more space, and he could have went anywhere in the metro-area and still called got away with calling it Milwaukee’s vodka. He chose to stay in urban Milwaukee though. Why? I haven’t talked to him directly, but here’s a couple guesses. It’s nice being close to your customers. It’s also a plus when you’re located by a Harley museum to generate a steady stream of customers for your tours. Being in a historic tannery building feels cool too, one could imagine. What does his business mean to Milwaukee? Realistically, not a lot of jobs directly, but there are other benefits. Everyone involved in local alcohol production deserves a huge round of applause from me, as do the people that drink it. Milwaukee is going to drink it’s share of alcohol, so it’s best that it’s made in Milwaukee. Every time you sip Rehorst compared to Absolut more money is staying in Milwaukee. Same with Lakefront, Water Street, and Alehouse beers vs Budweiser (and yes, even Miller). So while none of these distilleries create massive amounts of jobs, they keep wealth from leaving the city, and hopefully long-term bring wealth in (as they ultimately sell outside 124th Street). They also have this huge marketability asset that makes all of them being so close together so great. They’re great places to go. Now Guy’s tour is not running yet, but I imagine it’ll be something people talk about. It’s yet one more thing for people to do in urban Milwaukee (see: Fonz statue) that isn’t enough to draw people to come here on their own, but adds to a mixing pot of great things that make Milwaukee special compared to somewhere huge like Atlanta or small like Janesville. Milwaukee is a great place to be and with entrepreneurs like Guy Rehorst, isn’t anywhere close to losing it’s alcohol heritage, even with Miller moving to Chicago or Dallas (yeah, I said it).
Apr 16th, 2008 by Jeramey Jannene
New Alterra Opening
Alterra Spring Originally uploaded by MilwaukeeMark A new Alterra Coffee Roasters is opening today at 2999 N. Humboldt Blvd. near the intersection of Humboldt and Locust just over the river into Riverwest. According to Alterra… On Saturday, December 15th, the Alterra café on Humboldt Boulevard will open its doors, joining neighbors Loop Yarn Shop and Alterra Baking Company in our new building across from Pumping Station Park. In addition to freshly brewed coffee, the café will serve soups, salads, and sandwiches, and a wide selection of teas, espresso-based drinks and baked goods made daily from scratch. The Alterra will make a welcome addition to the neighborhood over a Starbucks. I’ll have to drop by once it’s warmer, venturing that far in the cold for a cup of coffee isn’t quite in the card for me yet. Please feel free to leave any feedback you have on the new location.
Dec 15th, 2007 by Jeramey Jannene
Art vs. Craft
After seven rounds, nationally-recognized Art vs. Craft has become a Milwaukee institution – by way of minimally institutional principles. Also an anomaly: over 75 progressively-minded, “new wave” artists, crafters and designers will be vending their handmade and independent wares – just in time for the holiday feeding frenzy.
Dec 1st, 2007 by Amber Herzog
Pabst Owner Seeks $200K Tax Refund; Claims Shares Have “Zero Book Value”
Foundation to IRS: Pabst shares have no book value; ask $200K refund
Jul 31st, 2007 by Michael Horne
Regulatory Woes Cost Baird $6+ Million
Claims Rise Greatly in Purcell Era Include Awards for “Mismanagement,” “Unsuitability,” “Failure to Supervise,” “Breach of Fiduciary Duty,” “Negligence.”
Jan 11th, 2007 by Michael Horne
Trial Set Figures in New Orleans Scandal; U.S. Attorney Says Johnson Controls Duped
Since indictments were handed down last January, the U.S. Attorney in New Orleans, Jim Letten, has secured six convictions in the wide-ranging case.
Nov 15th, 2006 by Michael Horne
