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.

If sitting in the dark for a couple of hours with no heat on a brutally cold winter night isn’t enough excitement for downtown Waukesha, then almost being blown to bits by a gas leak may do the trick.

Last Friday, around 5PM or so, a small section of downtown near Clinton and Main was evacuated for a short time until the fire department, along with help from WE Energies, was able to quell a hissing gas main.

I don’t exactly know which building on the 300 block of Main it was, but locals were saying you could smell gas for quite a distance.

I have included an artist’s rendering of what the scene could have looked like had the leak gone undetected too much longer.

On a lighter note, I have been sworn to secrecy about what is happening in the building across the street from our Art Academy- that is until I heard all about it this weekend from just about everybody else downtown.

However, I am not actually going to let the cat out of the bag just yet.

Since the veil of secrecy has not yet been officially lifted, I will just say this… one of downtown Waukesha’s favorite stores is going to reinvent itself this year- and they have chosen the building across from us to do it in.

We couldn’t be more excited.

With our new neighbor across the street and the soon-to-be-open Live Music Studio next door to us, the once quite end of West Main Street is suddenly becoming a very trendy destination.

Hope East Main doesn’t get jealous.

And if you are still trying to guess who is moving in across the street, I will give you this hint- but you will be sworn to secrecy as well…

Got it yet?

Looking East Looking West

The fire that raged through downtown Waukesha’s infamous bed and breakfast, the Wisconsin House, has ignited many a question regarding its future in our fair city.

And as we all try to sort through the ashes of information surrounding the incident, it seems as if more questions arise than answers.

New facts have come available in recent days regarding the events of that fateful evening and it is this one in particular that has grabbed my attention…

“Before he started the fire, (the suspect) spent two hours drinking 12 beers and a shot at a local bar.”

Two hours. Twelve beers. One shot. Local bar.

Nice job.

Let’s be sure to renew that liquor license this summer.

On a lighter note, rumor has it that Wisconsin House owner Ron Becker is planning on making a few upgrades to the property during its rehab.

I was able to get my hands on this rough draft of an idea- seems he may go for a design more befitting of the historic neighborhood.

I know I’m excited.

At 1:15 AM this morning, I was awaken by the sound of sirens descending on our downtown.

As I rushed to the window to see what was happening, a squad pulled up in front of our building and blocked off the street.

I leaned out the window to get a better look up the east end of Main Street and that’s when I heard the sound of breaking glass- to the west.

As I turned my gaze toward the far west end of Main my eyes began to focus and I couldn’t believe what I saw-

-the Wisconsin House on the 400 block of West Main was spewing heavy black smoke from the top floor.

I clambered onto our roof for a better perspective and as I looked on, the smoke began to increase.

By 1:25AM, the building looked like it was in serious trouble.

Fire trucks and ambulances littered the street, and by 1:45AM, it seemed as though things were under control.

For those of you not familiar with the Wisconsin House, it is the old, four-story, brick rooming house that sits at the end of West Main Street across from Veterans Memorial Park.

I am sure the papers will have an update on the cause of the blaze sometime today, as I saw Darryl Enriquez pass by my building only a moment ago.

More later…

art (art) n. 1. The quality, production, expression, or realm of what is beautiful or of more than ordinary significance.

Sounds nice, doesn’t it?

But put the word “public” in front of it, and it changes everything.

The words “public art” and “public debate” appear to go hand in hand more often than not.

It seems any time someone gets the idea to place a piece of art out in view of the general public, it spurs a swell of controversy.

Some might say that controversy is a benefit of public art- it gets people talking. Others would simply rather not have to deal with the issue.

Whatever your opinion on public art may be, there is one thing everyone may agree on- public art begets attention.

I was perusing one of my favorite local blogs the other day and my attention was captured by an article regarding the controversy surrounding the placement of an art piece outside of the Brookfield Public Library.

While stating he is a proponent of public art, Brookfield’s Mayor is not overly fond of placing it where everyone can see it.

Public art hidden from the view of the public?

Interesting.

Nevertheless, here we are once more in the stew of controversy over a piece of artwork.

Public art again lives up to its reputation.

So by now you may be asking yourself, “What’s the point here? Who cares that public art is such an attention getter?”

You know who cares…New York City cares.

They care to the tune of $15 million.

New York City is considering shelling out a $15 million check to Danish artist Olafur Eliasson to construct up to four waterfalls in various spots of the city as a display of public art.

You may be asking yourself why, because it sounds crazy, doesn’t it.  

On the contrary, the project could generate almost $55 million worth of tourism for the city.

$55 million for a $15 million investment.

Public art can do that? Who would of thought?

And before you go back to the “sounds crazy” statement, we need to look back at another public art project the City of New York supported a while back.

Artist Christo (I would like to wrap the planet in cellophane) and his wife Jeanne-Claude (I still love my husband even though he wants to wrap the planet in cellophane) erected a massive project in Central Park called “The Gates”.

The plan included a series of 7500 squared arches made of fabric that stood 16 feet high and lined 23 miles of footpaths in the park.

Weird, eh?

Here's what is not so weird, The project generated over $80 million for the city and created temporary work for many a jobless New Yorker.

So as I sit here reading "blog" after "Sound Off" after "letter to the editor" about how Waukesha's downtown needs more bar/restaurants to generate tourism dollars, I really begin to scratch my head.

Don't get me wrong, I think downtown could definitely benefit from the addition of more restaurants...

I said restaurants.

Not "restaurants" that are open until 2:30AM. That now takes on the characteristics of a bar.

And within a 1 mile radius of the center of downtown Waukesha, there are 27 bars- 8 of which I haunt on a regular basis because they are noble establishments.

But the 27 we have don't seem to be holding together the fabric of our downtown. They are not sustaining the economy down here in such a way that we need to litter the landscape with more. So what makes someone think we need more?

You know what's nice about public art?

It's quiet.

It sits where you set it and it doesn't make a sound. It respects its neighborhood and supports silence.

Put 27 pieces of public art down here and I'll bet it would catch a tourist's eye; maybe even make them meander the streets, stop for a bite to eat, perhaps wander into a store to shop, and possibly even pause in the end for a drink.

How about that.

Perhaps it is time we start looking at interesting alternatives for breathing some life into this downtown and embrace something unconventional.

You can say public art offends you and you can say you don't like it and you can say it's ugly. But there are plenty of things down here that do far worse.

And in the end, the art will do exactly what it is supposed to do; exactly what so many down here need it to do.

I think what Mr. Wigderson said in a blog response to Brookfield’s public art dilemma perfectly sums it up…

There haven’t been a whole lot of really exciting (or good) things happening downtown in the past few weeks.

We all know the hotel is underway. We all know new condos are being built on the river. We all know there are a multitude of renovation projects happening in the Business Improvement District.

So what’s a blogger to do when there is no real news happening for him to blog about?

He does this…

Say hello to Ed. Ed is my five year old Fox Terrier.

A few months ago, Ed was invited to a “dog birthday party”. Having little experience in this area, I wasn’t really sure what to expect, so Ed and I headed to the pet store for research.

I was surprised to find that dog birthday parties are not all that uncommon. It seems you can buy cards, gifts, outfits, and even dog cake and dog ice cream.

More on the dog cake later.

After a good hour of shopping at the pet store (Ed likes to look at the rats and guinea pigs), we returned home with all kinds of items designed to make Ed the hit of the party and my feelings toward the event were turning from apprehensive to borderline excitement.

Trouble was, Ed wasn’t sharing this feeling with me.

We began party preparations by wrapping the birthday dog’s gifts. Upon sight of these items, Ed went into a fury. He was convinced these toys were for him (try explaining to a dog why you are wrapping his toys in paper and bows) and was hell bent on shredding them, as he does to all his toys.

So out came the dreaded dog gate and Ed was confined to the living room while I continued wrapping.

Once everything was wrapped, it was time to dress Ed for the party.

This is where things got weird, and to appreciate just how weird, we need to reflect on the history of the Wire-Haired Fox Terrier for a moment…

The Wire-Haired Fox Terrier was developed in England by fox hunting enthusiasts and is believed descended from a now-extinct, rough-coated, black-and-tan working terrier of Wales, Derbyshire, and Durham. The breed was also believed to have been bred to chase foxes into their burrows underground, and their short, strong, usually docked, tails were used as handles by the hunter to pull them back out.

Oh my. What has happened here?

But I soon put the thoughts of shame behind me and carried on with the mission at task, we only had a few minutes before we had to be at the party.

Ed is really good about being handled. As I pulled the little hat over his ears and tied the bow around his neck, he sat patiently, a tribute to his blue-blooded showmanship.

Once Ed was dressed, I stepped back to take a look.

Ed is sensitive to laughter. He knows the difference between being laughed at and laughing with.

I tried to contain myself, and with a giggle in my throat, I quickly snapped this photo.

Ed was mortified- so mortified that he didn’t even move a muscle. I had to lift him off the couch and carry him to the car. All the way to the party, he sat in the back seat, still as a statue.

However, when we arrived at the party, I let Ed out of the car, he entered the house, and the mayhem began.

There were dogs everywhere and within minutes, Ed had shed his funny hat and fluffy bow. Lighter and more nimble without his accessories, he was now determined to get this party stirred into absolute anarchy.

That’s what I love about Ed.

Dogs were on furniture, dogs were running laps through the house, dogs were jumping on children- it was quite the scene.

And just when you thought there was no controlling the chaos, out came dog birthday cake...and silence fell over the room.

Dog birthday cake proved to be a godsend, however, dog birthday cake has one downfall- it looks a lot like real cake.

I had heard there would be cake for everyone, humans as well as dogs, and when I saw a slice of moist, golden, delicious cake sitting unguarded on the kitchen table, I took my chance at acquiring it to appease my sweet tooth.

Let me tell you, looks can be VERY deceiving. It’s been months since the event, and I still don’t think I have brushed that flavor from my mouth completely.

As the party wound down and exhausted dogs littered the living room, we said our goodbyes and took Ed home.

He curled into a tiny ball in the back seat of the car and slept all the way home; I had to carry him into the house and set him in his bed.

Overall, I would say he had a great time, minus the hat and bow. And as I brushed my teeth for the fourth time in fifteen minutes, I couldn’t help but think I had a pretty good time as well.

As strange as it sounds, dog birthday parties can be quite the social event.

Now let’s hope something blog-worthy happens downtown in the next few days, or else I am going to be forced to tell you all about the cat Bar Mitzvah I went to.

I may not be kidding.

I am unsure if this is already old news.

Rumors of what is going into the new Target development on Sunset Drive are swirling.

While it seems everyone knows of the 133,753 square foot Target retail store planned for the development, questions still loom about the other stores on the property, especially the 139,100 square foot “home improvement center” that has gone unnamed… until now.

During a review of the plans for signage at the last plan commission meeting, a certain design caught my eye…

Looks like Waukesha is finally going to get a Lowe’s.

The development includes a total of 20 retail spaces, some designed with the opportunity to be split in two. Seven of these 20 spaces are listed as retail/restaurant. The third largest of the spaces is slated for a grocery store.

While speaking with the developers after the meeting, the names of several popular restaurants, coffee shops, and a certain craft store, all made it into the discussion.

Nothing is set in stone however. They are still actively searching for leasers.

I told them about some of the stores that have left downtown recently and may be looking for new space… Diamonds and Blue Jeans, Twisted (the old head shop on Broadway), and the mattress store that used to be on Main Street, but they didn’t seem interested.

I just wanted to share the love.

On a final note, the landscape plan for this project is very substantial. It includes a heavy tree and plant berm along Sunset Drive, well landscaped entrances, a “pocket park” in the center of the plan, and a nature park on the corner of the development adjacent to the Fox River Parkway.

Another bit of information that caught my eye referred to the site maintenance schedule. It incorporates daily street sweeping of the property and weekly power washing of the sidewalks.

Nice.

All it needs now is a clock tower.

The second annual Otto's Fine Art Academy Christmas Card Contest was held last week. The contest gives our students the opportunity to design our company Christmas card.

Twenty designs were submitted, and these are the top four.

 This year's winning design was submitted by Emily Kassens, age 9.

 A close second was created by Abby Watson, age 9.

 Third place comes from Hannah Hakami, age 7.

 An honorable mention was awarded to Megan Christensen, age 11.

We want to thank all the students who submitted entries this year. Each entry was outstanding and choosing a winner was very challenging.

Special thanks go out to our esteem panel of judges who had the difficult task of choosing this year's winners.

Here it is… your first look (maybe) at the new public art piece that will be installed downtown in the next few weeks.

It’s a striking piece; perhaps a cross between a guitar and...umm... well... some metal and…uhh, did I mention that art is meant to be interpreted differently by everyone?

I leave the interpretation of this piece up to you.

It will be located just east of the corner of West Main Street and Barstow, across from Ace Hardware, on the property of the River’s Edge Apartments.

At 13’ high and 4’ wide, this piece will stand proudly among the many other works of public art that can be found all over downtown Waukesha.

Soon a map will be available that details the locations all of the public art available for viewing downtown.

A stroll through downtown on a beautiful evening, touring art galleries, eating Italian ice cream, drinking a warm latte, and viewing exquisite works of art can be quite enriching.

You should consider giving it try.

It became apparent again today that Downtown Waukesha is really changing.

While out walking the dog this morning, I noticed this through the trees.

 

It’s the Ogden Condo project- and this is the first, four-story unit. It will be situated along the Fox River near the west end of Main.

The development is said to occur in three phases, the first of which will include 11 units facing the river, and 10 row-houses facing St. Paul Avenue.

I am going to have a lot of new neighbors here soon.

However, I have a concern. Phase one of this project is being built on the property of the former Pic-a Bac bookstore, which has since been razed.

I heard rumor that the bookstore was haunted. Do ghosts relocate after their former homes are destroyed? Or do they sit dormant until the current construction is complete, and then return to haunt the new digs?

What does a brand new, haunted condominium go for these days?

Check Ogden’s website for more information.

Once again, the blog suffers due to the inconvenient interruption known as life, but today I have found myself with a leftover fifteen minutes, so it will be spent here, in blog land.

Pressure from the weather has consumed my attention for the past two weeks. As the fall-like conditions persist and the downtown Christmas parade looms ever closer (November 18^th at 4PM), the need to put up the holiday decorations weighs heavy.

So last week, I dragged all the boxes marked “Christmas” out of the cellar and began the tedious job of attaching thousands of tiny fire hazards to our building.

The recent balmy weather made for a rather enjoyable experience however, and I think I may have even gotten a little sunburn in the process.

It reminded me of Christmas in California. As a matter of fact, I still remember the huge turnout our local grocery store in Santa Margarita had when they decided to rent a snow-making machine and build a man-made sled hill in their parking lot.

It was pandemonium. Many of the kids had never seen snow before.

And there is something to be said for drinking ice cool lemonade in the shade after spending the day on a hot roof putting up plastic Santas and reindeer, or getting doused by your lawn sprinkler while running an extension cord through your back yard to power the Christmas lights in your palm trees.

However, if you really wanted a true taste of what a snowy day was all about, you could leave the warm confines of southern California and, in three hours, be shoulder deep in so much snow and ice it would make a Wisconsin blizzard look like a snow globe.

Thunder, lightning, white outs, chains on tires, and narrow mountain roads that could mean certain death with a wrong turn, these are the memories of a California winter that I will never forget.

I love Wisconsin.

But what was nice about the winter in California was that you had a choice in what kind of weather experience you wanted around the holidays.

Too hot- go to the mountains. Too cold- go to the desert. Too dry- go to the ocean. Too wet- stay at home and watch movies. What ever your fancy, it was always available.

On the other hand, Wisconsin winters definitely make you appreciate the beautiful weather we have in the spring, summer, and fall. And if it was nice here every day, then EVERYBODY would want to live here, and Wisconsin would become just like California.

And we wouldn’t want that- would we?

I guess we are no longer out of time.

Now, it appears that Downtown Waukesha is the happiest place on earth!

Cool.

Just so you know- I didn’t doctor this photo. If you drive by the clock tower in lot three downtown, this is what it looks like.

And it’s hysterical.

Situated on one of the more popular gateways to Waukesha’s Historic Downtown is a little eyesore with a big following.

For the three years I have traveled East Main Street, Fuzzy’s Pub and Grille (the “e” on “Grille” was their idea, not mine) has sat in various states of condition.

It once received a partial paint job that mimicked a desert scene of sorts, but the harsh elements of a Wisconsin winter took a toll on it within a few months.

Various other projects have crept into existence on this property as well over the years.

The leftovers of a summer “beach party” sand pit spill into the parking lot.

A large blue tarp situated on the east side of the property covers what is believed to be a tunnel dating back to a time early in Waukesha’s history. I have been told that further excavation is necessary to discover exactly what it is (enter Geraldo Rivera).

All in all, as Fuzzy’s stands today, it hardly fits the bill as a beauty mark on Downtown Waukesha’s Gateway.

Of course, one can argue that beauty is only skin deep- it’s what is on the inside that counts and we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.

And Fuzzy’s definitely fits that bill.

That was until now.

Last month, plans of a Fuzzy’s facelift had surfaced. And, with a little tweaking from the Waukesha Plan Commission (I hear those guys are really hard headed), those plans may soon become a reality.

Fuzzy’s is on its way to joining a growing number of businesses that have begun shaping up their outsides to reflect the quality that is going on inside, all the while adding beauty to the face of the City.

These people realize that part of what makes a business successful is its appearance. A reputation can take your business only so far. Make it welcoming on the outside, and you will see a definite change for the better on the inside.

As one travels down Main Street, it is evident that a change is in the air. There are over a dozen new projects happening within the Business Improvement District alone. New construction is happening everywhere, and Downtown is beginning to see a different kind of revival.

It’s buildings, some historic, some not, are finally getting the attention they deserve. And it appears that this idea is edging it way out the Gateways of the city as well.

Are we on the verge of something good here?

Could be.

However, it is far too early to tell. Waukesha has a long way to go and a lot of work ahead of it.

But it is refreshing to see the City making progress.

The recipe for a vibrant downtown has many ingredients- these are the bits and pieces we are seeing right now.

New construction, restoration, historic preservation, and new business are all healthy parts to a dynamic City.

A new Waukesha is beginning to surface, and with a little dash of vision, this City could have a very bright future ahead of it.

It was 85 degrees in Waukehsa a few days ago.

Perhaps operations "upstairs" are not as high-tech as we all think.

Recently, an article appeared in a local paper that paints the downtown business district in a state of blight. Titled "Is downtown Waukesha losing its momentum", the article continues to list twenty one businesses that have closed in the downtown since 2006.

 There are nearly 300 businesses in the downtown area. Losing 21 over the course of a year hardly seems like an epidemic.

I own a business downtown, and it continues to thrive. But I suppose that doesn't make for an interesting news topic, so no one bothered to stop by for an interview.

So, while you're sitting around this morning enjoying a cup of joe and catching up on local events, I invite you to take a minute to play the following brain teaser.

Listed below are the businesses that have gone out since 2006 (as dutifully reported by Norm Bruce, owner of Martha Merrell's Books and, apparently, the spokesperson for all of downtown).

I have also included the reasons they left- in no particular order.

Can you match the business to the reason?

A.) ABC Hobby Shop                          1.) Condensed Business Operations
B.) Butcharts Flower Shop                   2.) Small kids at home
C.) Clothes for Kids                             3.) Who cares?
D.) Fermans Finds                              4.) Never open!!!
E.) Garden Gazebo                             5.) Didn't want to pay higher rent
F.) Gerrimains Gifts                             6.) Getting married         
G.) Golden Memories                           7.) Not enough nerds in Waukesha
H.) James Store Gallery                       8.) Shop name too pretentious for downtown
I.) Katavinchys                                     9.) Worst idea ever
J.) Katydids                                        10.) Stopped paying rent
K.) The Pepper Tree                            11.) All inventory over 10 years old
L.) Salvation Army                              12.) Sold the business
M.) Shoestring Home                          13.) Making way for new development
N.) Simply Elegant Bridal /Tuxedo        14.) Needed room to store washers and dryers
O.) Splendid Treasures                        15.) Never changed inventory
P.) Surplus Outlet                                16.) Store was too much work
Q.) Tillies Treasures                             17.) Still don't know what this business was
R.) Universal Comics                            18.) Retired
S.) Donut Shoppe                                 19.) Thought BID supplied customers
T.) Passport Point                                 20.) Personal problems
U.) T-Rex Pizza                                    21.) Yarn?

Good luck players!

The answers to this game will not be printed in next week's installment. Or ever.

I took this picture in downtown parking lot #3 this morning.

I think its official folks; Waukesha has run out of time.