Maple & Main

Pulling one over one you guys is not an easy task…although I did receive a share of phone calls, emails, and comments on the street from folks who were excited (and concerned) about the last blog.

But in truth, if you don’t know it by now, the fabled coffee empire I said was coming to our fair downtown was nothing more than a lot of hot air (for now).

However, I didn’t go through all that trouble just to dupe you. I was actually hoping to generate a little conversation among folks regarding the issue.

What everyone keeps telling us is that Harley Fest is going to be the greatest thing to happen to downtown Waukesha in the world ever.

And let’s face it, holding a sizeable event such as Harley Fest in our downtown is going to be something unlike we have ever seen before. It’s exciting and it’s groundbreaking.

In addition, having only six months to prepare for it makes the whole thing all that more interesting.

If 120,000 people come downtown over Labor Day weekend, many of the businesses here are going to have a great three days.

Coffee shops will burst at their seams. Bars will be pouring brews well into the evenings. Restaurants will serve thousands of dishes. And when it is all over, they will sit back, relax, and enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Perhaps a few Harley riders will return in the future, with friends even, and enjoy Waukesha on a regular basis.

That’s a good thing too.

On the grand scale of things, Waukesha is going to finally get its “15 minutes” that weekend.

What I was trying to accomplish with that blog was to make people slow down and take a good, hard look past those 15 minutes.

What if Harley Fest spawns the rebirth of big business in downtown Waukesha?

Are the current downtown based businesses ready to compete with a Starbucks, or an Outback Steak House, or a Mo’s Irish Pub, or a Borders Bookstore?

What we have down here now is quaint. And with a little effort, it could become trendy.

But if it sways too far, it could quite possibly become another Bayshore. Soon after that, the little guys are gone and we are left with what will amount to nothing more than a mall.

I’ve always wanted to live in a mall. I hope they put in nice bathrooms.

If you don’t know it by now, downtown Waukesha is going to host what is rumored to be the biggest event of its history this summer- the “Weekend in Waukesha” (which is really nothing more than an upmarket name for Harley Fest).

And when asked how Harley Fest was going to benefit our beautiful little downtown, supporters of the event were quick to say that it will put the city in the limelight and grab national attention.

And I’ll be darned- it has done just that.

News of the event has traveled quite a ways already, and the excitement over the big bash has attracted the attention of one of this country’s largest businesses.

I’ve been gagged for the time being on saying the exact name of this business- but there are no restrictions on my delving out the details of what they do.

A certain rainy state based coffee house, known by most small coffee shops as the “Wal-Mart” of brew houses, has whispered to some that they are interested in finding a location in downtown Waukesha suitable for their world-famous brew.

It seems that all the recent press over Harley Fest has grabbed the attention of the coffee giant and now downtown Waukesha has been sighted for their next venture.

Still reeling from the wild success of their new Moreland Road location, sources for the espresso entrepreneurs say downtown seems like the next logical step.

Evidently, Main Street has been on and off the radar for some time, but with recent developments such as the boutique hotel, new restaurants and pubs, and the addition of more living spaces, the big-shot baristas now see downtown as the kind of market they seek.

It wasn’t until all the hype over this summer’s Hog Fest that they took a good second look at what is happening in the changing landscape of downtown Waukesha and decided it was the place to be.

When asked if they would take place in many of the exciting events that draw people to the downtown, such as The Art Crawl or Friday Night Live, officials for the java giant seemed rather uninterested.

They simply stated that their coffee alone is enough to attract people to their business.

“When you have a product as good as ours, people will come to you no matter where you put your business. We could put one of these on the moon and we would have a line out the door.”

Boy… brew a good cup of coffee and you get a little cocky I guess.

As for an opening date, officials say they are hoping to have a location locked in by May. They would not give a specific address yet; only that Main Street was a preference.

Supposedly a location along the Fox River walk was also a consideration, especially considering the parking crunch that Main Street might see should they decide to locate on the strip.

“The last thing we want to do is take parking spots away from the business owners who like to park in them.”

(Warning- too much caffeine evidently makes you arrogant.)

So it looks like the Harley Fest really is going to put Waukesha on the map.

And with the addition of this mochaccino mogul to the scene, there is no telling what could happen next.

Perhaps there will be a sudden push for the City of Waukesha to go smoke free before the big event so we can show the 120,000 Harley visitors that Waukesha is a progressive city with a bright future!

Aw, c’mon now. That’ll never happen.