Historic Mayville building gets Main Street Makeover

MAYVILLE, WI. JUNE 18, 2024 – Link’s Martial Arts, a small business in the Mayville Historic District, today celebrated completion of the state’s latest Main Street Makeover, giving its venerable storefront a new look and the family enterprise a promising future while preserving the past.

Last fall, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) named Link’s Martial Arts a finalist in its Main Street Makeover contest. Now in its eighth year, the WEDC initiative is a comprehensive revitalization program to promote the historic and economic redevelopment of Wisconsin’s traditional business districts.

“Thriving downtowns are one of the keys to Wisconsin’s growing economy,” said Missy Hughes, WEDC secretary and CEO. “By creating a sense of place, downtowns attract visitors and residents to local businesses that create jobs and keep dollars circulating in the community.”

The Main Street Makeover contest is designed to raise awareness of the Wisconsin Main Street Program and Connect Communities Program, which are the two downtown revitalization initiatives overseen by WEDC.

Link’s Martial Arts and two other finalists – YB Urban? in Ellsworth, and Café 529 in Wausau – each received personalized technical assistance and up to $10,000 to implement recommended changes, which include interior and exterior design improvements, or personalized assistance to boost the business’s image and operations.

For over 30 years, Link’s has offered martial arts education, training and competition opportunities, consolidating its operations into its Mayville headquarters. Dan Link, a former police officer, started the businesses in 1993, and it now employs both his wife Tammylinand daughter Dannylin.

“We are very thankful to have worked with the WEDC team on this project,” he said. “We are extremely excited and grateful for the opportunity to be part of the Main Street Makeover. The grant has afforded us the opportunity to upgrade our historic building to a professional appearance that we can all be proud of. It was a great experience.”

Link’s is located in the Julius Andrae building, built in 1860 and one of several registered historic sites in the Mayville Main Street Historic District. Next door is the old State Bank, another site, built earlier, 1913, in the Neoclassical / Beaux Arts style.

Built in the Commercial Vernacular style, the Julius Andrae building is a three-story structure with rows of four windows on the second and third floors facing Main Street. It’s named for its original owner and his general store. According to the Mayville Historical Society, the building became the location of other businesses over the years, including two bakeries, a liquor store, and dry goods store.

Prior to the makeover, the third-floor windows were boarded up. They have been replaced with new windows featuring eye-catching displays. Façade improvements also include brickwork such as tuckpointing, updating the entry, storefront and window display with signage and decals highlighting the karate studio.

Work inside includes improved lighting and small touches in the lobby to welcome students and their parents to the studio. Additional assistance was provided to help the business enhance their online and social media presence.

The result is a more welcoming, professional look that promises to help the family’s already successful enterprise thrive. Emerging from the pandemic, the business is looking to the future, hoping to better serve its existing students and attract a new generation of learners. To that end, the renovated façade, improved signage and enhanced window displays, are sure to attract notice.

WEDC’s downtown development staff and a team of interior designers from Milwaukee-based Retailworks Inc. have been working with the Link family over the past six months to redesign a space that will be welcoming to customers and provide exterior visuals that convey the quality training offered by the business.

The grand celebration and reopening began with a ribbon cutting on June 18. Customers will note a cleaner and brighter space and improved retail sales area in addition to the renovated facade.

“This contest not only provides additional support and services to the winning business, but it also highlights the benefits of investing in downtown districts and supporting local businesses,” said Errin Welty, senior director of Downtown Development with WEDC.

In the past year, participating communities each welcomed an average of seven new downtown businesses and over $1 million in private investment and coordinated nearly 1,000 volunteer hours dedicated to enhancing individual downtowns, Welty added.

Link’s was eligible for the makeover as a business in one of Wisconsin’s 35 Wisconsin Main Street Programs. The contest is designed to raise awareness of the downtown revitalization programs offered in the state, which also includes the Connect Communities Program. Both programs provide support and training for communities and organizations dedicated to downtown revitalization efforts, also offering services and tools for businesses and property owners within these districts. The Makeover program is just one example of many programs designed to foster business and community engagement and showcase the businesses that bring life to downtown districts.

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.