Well --- did that headline get your attention ? If it did, then I succeeded in doing what the Village Board is so successful at – only in reverse.

I had maintained throughout the recent trustee campaign that the Village Board was overly obsessed with “business” in Shorewood, to the detriment of the “residential” component of the Village.

Focusing on business makes the Village Board look good. We all traverse the main streets of the Village --- and the business facades are prominent and easy to visualize. In contrast, there is not the same visualization factor of the residential infrastructure --- which is actually the Backbone of Shorewood.

In Steve Koczela’s critique of the Legion Post debate, in his blog he posted ( in part):

“While Michael Phinney insisted that he has been a champion of business in Shorewood, Eckman pointed to her vote against the smoking ban as evidence of her pro-business stance…..

Eckman also claimed credit (somewhat dubiously) for some of the new businesses in Shorewood, at least one of which is actually located in a building owned by Dave Tatarowicz.”

Knowing that *Success has many Fathers, but Failure is an Orphan* --- I thought it would be interesting to note the businesses that have recently closed, and/or left the village, and/or moved and the landlords have not been able to quickly fill the spaces. With the loud rhetoric emanating from the Village Board on how well it is doing for business, through its own actions and vis-a-vis the BID ---- I wonder who will offer to adopt the following Orphans !

4517 N Oakland Stone Age Jewelers
4144 N Oakland Carriage Cleaners
4522 N Oakland ???
3575 N Oakland 8,000 SF Street Level Retail
1808 E Capitol Cajun Food
1926 E Capitol Irish Dance Studio (moved to larger quarters, space still vacant)
1522 E Capitol Phone Store
3801 N Oakland Coffee Café
4013 N Oakland Shorewood Wine Bar
4022 N Oakland Red Rock Café

The BID does have an excellent section on its website, under the Business Opportunities Section, for Space Available --- but it has never listed any of these spaces for potential businesses to find !

PLEASE NOTE: I am not advocating that there is really a lot that the Village or the BID can or could do in relation to these businesses closing, or the spaces that remained vacant so long. Actually, just the opposite --- businesses will come and go, when it is in the best interests of the business owners, landlords, and patrons. And the effect of Village government in exactly how those dynamics work out, is extremely limited.

Unfortunately, as long as there is the “wow” factor involved in such highly visual projects as the Streetscape Program, the BID, and now the threatened diminution of Wilson – that is where the efforts and our taxes will go.