Hummingbirch offers art and meditation classes on Howell

Two women were brainstorming in South Shore Park last year when they decided there was nothing stopping them from pursuing their dream of opening a business that blended their twin talents of art and meditation. So they did it. Hummingbirch is the result.

Bay View artist Ellen Carr and meditation specialist Nina Pielarz co-own Hummingbirch, a 795-square-foot art and meditation studio now open at 3205 S. Howell Ave., property owned by Henry and Susan Paul of Elm Grove.

Carr and Pielarz found the space last October and spent the last three months of 2011 renovating the interior formerly occupied by Signs & Designs and Dina’s Upholstery. They held an open house last Nov. 11, but their lease officially started Jan. 1.

In an age when schools are cutting art classes and computerization is displacing tactile creative experiences like painting and drawing, Carr said she wants to make art accessible to anyone, not just “artists.” “That’s my main goal: to help people overcome their fear of art,” she said.

Starting this month, Carr offers a basic drawing class Thursday evenings and Friday afternoons. Before the holidays she held a workshop on making your own wrapping paper. She plans others on making your own valentines and repurposing everyday objects.

Pielarz offers drop-in meditation classes Tuesday through Friday in the mornings before work and ongoing meditation classes twice on Wednesdays and also on Friday evenings. She doesn’t focus on one style of meditation but believes meditation serves to help people let go of fear, anger, and addictions, and bring them more peace or a caring attitude.

The pair offer a combination meditation and art class Tuesday evenings. “Not everybody feels that they have the artistic ability. The ability is locked inside,” Pielarz explained. “I will unlock, if I could, the creative side of the people that would join us. When they approach the paper or pen, they will be more peaceful, more in the moment, more free to express themselves freely.”

Carr believes the process of art is more important than the final product. “The process of doing art is very meditative,” she added.

Hummingbirch has a basement workshop. The main Hummingbirch space is also available for rent if someone wants to teach yoga or use it as a spiritual/artistic venue, Carr said.

In the next weeks, Carr plans to add art classes for children. Pielarz plans mediation classes designed for parent and child and for married couples.

They’ve already begun working with the nearby Milwaukee Center for Independence, hosting small group art classes for the developmentally disabled. The cozy setting makes clients feel calm and comfortable. “We’ve had such a beautiful experience,” Carr said. “They just love it because it’s just a few blocks away.”

Carr earned her BFA in drawing and painting at UWM in 1998, then traveled to California where she became exposed to meditation before returning to Bay View in 2001. She said since then she’d been doing art for herself but struggling with part-time jobs, none of which were truly her passion.

Originally from Poland, Pielarz provides Polish-English translation for medical patients at Froedtert Hospital and earned her degree in Russian at UW-Milwaukee. She said she discovered the power of meditation 10 years ago when working through some problems and credits her time at the Mindfulness Practice Center of Milwaukee on Locust as leading her to discover her gift in guiding group meditation. Pielarz is also pursuing Reiki certification.

“Really we want to contribute to the community,” Pielarz said. “Bay View is really open-minded people and we like that.”

To register or for more information contact Ellen Carr at (414) 745-1559 or Nina Pielarz at (414) 625-0327.

The Crossroads, a spiritual store for Kinnickinnic Avenue

This March, a spiritual gift store and wellness center is set to open in the Kinnickinnic Avenue storefront that once housed Apple A Day Massage and more recently the law offices of Divorce Financial Services.

Brett D’Arras, of Bay View, and Bonnie Landsee, of Brookfield, partnered to open their new business, The Crossroads, at 2227 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., the property owned by John Endries Properties LLC.

“We wanted someplace that was going to be inclusive of all faiths, not something exclusively pagan or Wiccan,” said D’Arras, who identified himself as Catholic.

The Crossroads will sell spiritual items like seven-day glass candles, herbs, oils, handmade jewelry, pendulums, statuary, hand-woven fair-trade items, devotional images of religious saints, local art, and boutey, which are Haitian bottles decorated with sequins and beads. Much of their inventory will be sold on consignment, D’Arras said.

Landsee is a certified massage therapist and will offer massage therapy, Reiki, energy work, and alternative healing. She has owned Three Queens Emporium and Healing Traditions, LLC in Waukesha County in recent years and has worked as a telecommunications specialist for AT&T since 1994.

D’Arras has a background in spiritual counseling, paranormal investigations, Tarot card readings, and Lifeline consultations. He said he found himself supplementing his income from a suite of dead-end jobs by doing more and more spiritual consultation on the side, then said he was laid off for no apparent reason working for a wine bar.

He feels that Milwaukee doesn’t really have a spiritual store and hopes to fill a vital niche.

“The businesses that are surviving are the businesses that cater to the needs of the people,” D’Arras said. “When you’re losing your factory job you go to the spiritual store and get a candle because those are the needs you have.”

D’Arras said he was excited about the new Alterra and Dwell Bay View and cited them both as large draws to Bay View. “This area is so diverse and so close-knit and so not like a typical all-white [neighborhood]—there’s a mix of everybody,” he said.

The Crossroads is also open to other practitioners, D’Arras said.

Opening in March: M-F 12-8pm, Sat 10am-8pm, Sun 12-5pm.

www.thecrossroadsbotanica.com.

Top Shelf Guitar

1. Did you open the shop from the start or purchase the business?

I opened the shop from the start in May 2003 in what used to be a tattoo shop.

2. Why did you focus your business on guitars?

I’m a guitar player myself and have worked on instruments at other stores in town. I figured, Why not open my own place?

3. Do you sell acoustic and electric?

We sell acoustic, electric, basses, amplifiers, and accessories.

4. Do you sell other stringed instruments?

We stock ukuleles in addition to guitars and basses. We do sell the occasional banjo or mandolin.

5. Do you play guitar?

I’ve been playing guitar for 31 years. I started in high school at Thomas More where I was in a traveling jazz ensemble and never stopped playing. I do a hundred shows a year with the Five Card Studs.

6. Which guitarists to do you admire? Which guitars?

Any guitar player from the British Invasion. Guitars—American-made: older Fenders, Gibsons, Rickenbackers, Gretsches. Guitars that are my age.

7. What other services or merchandise do you provide? Do you do repairs?

Full and complete guitar repair, amplifier repair, and lessons. Our bread and butter is repairs.

8. Do you do instrument set-ups?

Yes.

9. What are some good starter guitars for beginners?

You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a decent guitar these days. Many of our used instruments are set up before they are hung on the wall and play better than some new instruments that were never set up.

10. Does Top Shelf Guitar provide lessons?

I have two very qualified teachers, Todd Richards and Will Branch, who will teach students ages 5-105.

2358 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.
Jeff Benske
(414) 481-8677
topshelfguitars@sbcglobal.net
topshelfguitarshop.com

Dog wash and coffee bar planned for Dwell Bay View building

This summer, dogs in Bay View will have the opportunity to get an all-natural blueberry facial while their owners sip coffee and chat with neighbors inside one of the city’s newest buildings.

The metro area’s second Community Bark, a combination dog wash and coffee bar, is planned for the 2,900-square-foot first-floor space of the Dwell Bay View building under construction at the southeast corner of Kinnickinnic Avenue and Conway Street.

Shorewood resident Andrew Appel opened his first Community Bark location in Bayside in September 2009. Appel said he signed the lease for the Bay View location the last week of December 2011. “I’m so psyched, I can’t even tell you,” Appel said. “Once in a while you do something that just feels right.”

The premise is the same as Bayside, to provide a comfortable indoor social space for pet owners with options to either wash or have their dogs washed and/or professionally groomed, but Bay View will be 30 percent bigger. Both Bayside and Bay View will have five tubs respectively, but Bay View’s drying area will be larger so Appel’s “bather/baristas” could theoretically wash and dry five dogs at once on a busy Saturday.

Community Bark serves Alterra coffee and Rishi tea. It also sells local pet products and food from Stella & Chewey’s, Fresh is Best, and Fromm’s.

Appel, who earned an MBA from Northwestern, said he didn’t set out to be an entrepreneur. “This one idea just kind of burrowed into me.”

He was originally inspired by South Bark Dog Wash in San Diego, where he spent four of his eight years working in sales and marketing for Hewlett-Packard. He watched someone get sprayed accidentally and something clicked. “Dog owners have an instant conversation maker,” said Appel, a lifelong dog owner himself.

Appel plans to start hiring Bay View employees in late spring. He anticipates seven staff for Saturdays, less during the week.

Hours may adjust depending on local demand, but Appel plans for Community Bark to be open seven days a week, closing each day at 6pm.

He first heard about the space at the town hall meeting to discuss the Dwell proposal. His wife is the cousin of the wife of Bay View Maytag Laundromat owner Steve Ste. Marie.

Dogs under 50 pounds are expected to be allowed in Dwell’s apartments, so in addition to being excited about being part of the walking neighborhood, Appel feels Dwell is a great fit for his business. He said he looked at the former Bay View Schwartz Bookstore location three years ago, but felt area parking was too tight and the space wasn’t just right.

Architectural design wasn’t yet complete. Appel expects build-out in spring with a targeted opening of July. Appel said Dwell is taking noise reduction measures for the neighboring apartments.

He said his was Wisconsin’s first business to mix food and animals and added that he’s had over a year of conversations with the city’s health department to ensure his compliance with health and safety regulations.

Appel is working with Bay View web designer Matt Spannem and expects a revamped website prior to the summer opening.

Opportunity and creativity along Howell

When most think of Bay View’s business district, Kinnickinnic Avenue comes to mind. But there are enclaves of small businesses and creative entrepreneurs peppered elsewhere, including along Howell Avenue in the blocks south of Lincoln Avenue.

Before the anticipated Alterra Bakery & Café changes the complexion of the Howell/Lincoln intersection, we took a look at the storefronts along Howell Avenue for a few blocks south of Lincoln to take inventory of what’s there now. We found a number of vacant storefronts, but also many used by businesses that might not be obvious to those traveling along Howell. You know Sky High Skateboard Shop and La Carcacha Auto Repair, for instance, but did you know Howell also hosts artist studio space, a marketing company, and a recording studio?

Most of Howell’s storefronts cluster around intersections that were streetcar stops from the late 19th through the early 20th century, when many of its structures were built. Howell Avenue feels quieter and more residential than Kinnickinnic, with a lower density of mixed-use storefronts, but these facades hide a creative nucleus that counterbalances the relative hustle and bustle of KK.

 

Opportunities

Starting from Lincoln Avenue and working south to Rosedale Avenue, here are some of the opportunities for new business on Howell.

2315-17

The building that houses Abil’s Heating and Air Conditioning, 2315 S. Howell Ave., had a for-sale-by-owner sign on it in January. According to Abil’s owner, Guanajuato Mexican Restaurant recently looked at the property with a view toward a possible move from the corner, but nothing is in stone. The entire property, which includes the 1,564-square-foot storefront as well as two apartments above plus a cottage behind, was last assessed at $156,600. The parcel could prove enticing to developers eager to capitalize on the nearby Alterra, whose building and parking lot are under construction across the street.

2365-67

Branko Radicevic, Jr., who owns the currently empty storefronts at 2365-67 S. Howell Ave., did not immediately return a call for comment. In January, one of the windows was boarded up. The property was last assessed at $72,300. There are two small storefronts in the building, one 428 square feet and the other 612.

2374

On the east side of the street, Mary Buddenberg owns the mixed-use building at 2368-74 S. Howell Ave. with apartments above potential storefront space. Buddenberg, who lives at 2370, has no plans to market the 1,091-square-foot storefront space on the ground floor at 2374, which she said her son currently uses for storage.

2376-78

The city assessor’s website lists 1,976 square feet of the first floor of the mixed-used building at the northeast corner of Howell Avenue and Smith Street as being used for storage, with a two-bedroom apartment above. The auto garage around the corner is part of the same parcel. A call for listed property owner Jerome J. Endries was not immediately returned.

2417

Two doors south of the Citgo station at the southwest corner of Howell and Smith is another storefront opportunity. Although listed at the city assessor’s website as a residential duplex, the first floor of this property at 2417 S. Howell Ave., owned by Jaswant Singh, has the appearance of a storefront, with a façade of windows pushed up against the sidewalk. It once housed a cell phone business, U.S. Digital Services. Singh bought the property in July and fixed it up. He said he’s had 14 or 15 showings in the last three months but nobody’s wanted to move in because the storefront is small.

2559

For about five years a colorful hand-painted sandwich board has advertised that RJ Dohr’s mixed-use property at 2559 S. Howell Ave. is for sale or lease. “I’m trying to sell it to anybody I can,” Dohr said. “So far I haven’t had any luck.”

He attributes this to the economy. Banks are still reluctant to lend to small businesses, he said. “Right now the biggest problem, I think, is money. Borrowing money for a business is about impossible.”

His building—the one with the leaded windows—was built as a Pabst roadhouse in 1895 and later had a handset bowling alley appended to it, Dohr said. It used to be the Rose Garden tavern. Dohr bought it out of foreclosure.

Although he’d prefer to sell the property, Dohr said he’s now talking to a potential tenant who wants to open a sports bar inside. On Jan. 12 Sly Fox, Sly Star LLC applied for a new Amusement Machine Premises, New Pool Table, and new Class “B” Tavern licenses for the property.

Dohr is asking $279,000 for the property, which was most recently assessed at $183,000. The first floor is over 4,000 square feet.

2721-25

The Dave’s Carpet buildings at the southwest corner of Howell and Rosedale avenues were on the market for sale or lease about a year, according to agent Jan Kadow. Kadow said the property is now under a lease agreement signed in December 2011, but in January offered no further details about the tenant.

The property consists of five apartments and three office spaces. It was last assessed at $306,000. The city assessor’s website listed the most recent owner as GM Ponto #3 LLC, whose registered agent is Milwaukee resident Gregory M. Ponto.

Business & Creativity

Between Lincoln Avenue and Smith Street, several businesses have a fairly public and longstanding presence on Howell. Guanajuato Mexican Restaurant and AK Market perch at the southwestern corner of Lincoln and Howell, in the property owned by Jesse Singh. A bit further down the block from two multi-tenant apartment buildings and on the opposite side of the street, Peace of Mind Funeral & Cremation Services remains at 2366 S. Howell Ave., though it has also added a Forest Home Avenue location.

2369

Justin Hernandez moved his business, PC Medic, to the storefront at 2369 S. Howell Ave. last July. For three years Hernandez ran his computer repair and IT service business out of his apartment—until he was displaced by its demolition to make way for Dwell Bay View at 2452 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. He said Howell is working fine for him so far. He has plans to offer bass guitar and drum lessons.

2375

A new artist has moved into the brick building at the northwest corner of Howell and Smith, formerly Saffron Yoga Studio and before that Paper Boat Boutique & Gallery.

Artist, printmaker, and educator Jenie Gao is leasing the space for her personal studio but also plans workshops for the community. The first is a three-hour woodcut workshop Feb. 25.

“We’re trying to use the property to support artists and people who do businesses that are not necessarily money-generating business,” said Rina Yoon, who has owned the property with a partner for 10 years.

Gao, who knew Yoon as a fellow printmaker, moved to Milwaukee a year and a half ago. She started to set up her studio last October. For more information on Gao’s work as an artist or to learn more about upcoming workshops, go to sunnyapplesilk.com.

“I’m really interested in how this area’s going to evolve,” Gao said.

2422

The Stone tavern, an old-time tap that offered a large array of craft beers at 2422 S. Howell Ave., had its large signage removed last year, which had some wondering if it had closed. However, in January a sign outside indicated drink specials. It remains open. Shawn Leet holds a tavern license for the property under the name Stepping Stone.

2469

Kiln glass artist Michelle Andre has operated her workshop, StudioQ, for four years at 2469 S. Howell Ave. The space is working well for her, but she doesn’t use it for retail. She sees the Howell Avenue corridor as essentially static over that time. “It’s been fairly consistent,” she said. “I don’t keep my door open to Howell Avenue.”

Andre credited Lulu Café and Bar as an important “seed” in starting the development along KK now over a decade ago, and she said she’ll be curious to see what effect Alterra has—and how it might influence Howell. “It’s not really the thoroughfare KK is,” she said. “People don’t think of it as a business district.”

2473

Tyyon Hagans’ Scooters Unique at 2473 S. Howell Ave. is currently closed except for appointments, but she plans to reopen at the end of March for walk-ins. Since she opened in October 2010, she’s appreciated the “super friendly” Howell business community. For example, she said, the guys at La Carcacha Auto Repair, 2484 S. Howell Ave., lent her a tool she needed.

Hagans is also pleased with how business is going. She sold out of scooters in 2011. She plans to remodel her store to make it more “boutiquish,” with a grand reopening in late spring.

2475

One of the few businesses on Howell that does count on a retail storefront presence, Jennifer Litzau’s Bay View Bean Company opened just a few months ago at 2475 S. Howell Ave. She said she’s observed a steady increase in business. Bean Co. sells cat food and artisan crafts on consignment. “I absolutely live it here,” Litzau said, “and we’re looking forward to the future.”

2479

In January, a sign on the door of 2479 S. Howell Ave. read “Ko Ku” and “Stanley Ryan Jones.” Stanley Ryan Jones is a Milwaukee photographer and artist. Ko Ku appears to be related to the business of Nickolas Nikolic, a Milwaukee creative photographer and photojournalist. Jones could not be reached and a call to Nikolic was not immediately returned.

2501

Aaron Polansky’s Sky High Skateboard Shop at 2501 S. Howell Ave., just south of Clarence Street and across from La Carcacha Auto Repair, is one of the most visible businesses along Howell Avenue. Polansky bought the building in 2004 and lives upstairs.

In 2010 Polansky teamed up with artist Faythe Levine, who formerly owned Paper Boat Boutique & Gallery and now curates the Sky High Gallery in the back of the store. For the first months of this year, the gallery will become a rec room as Levine focuses on a documentary project, according to the Sky High Gallery blog.

Since 2011 Levine and Polansky have sponsored a temporary mural project that features the work of different local artists on the exterior wall of Sky High facing Howell Avenue.

2505

Shane Hochstetler likes the low profile of his unassuming Howell Avenue storefront, which contains his recording studio, Howl Street Studios.

Hochstetler, who played in the band Call Me Lightning, met the property owner Trevor Sadler when Sadler was mastering some of Hochstetler’s records. The Howl Street Studios space was formerly occupied by the recording studio Bionic. Hochstetler has been on Howell four and a half years.

Hochstetler said he works constantly and is booked months in advance. His location has the advantages of being on a bus line in a neighborhood with a lot of bands, he said, close enough to the action on KK but far enough to feel “chill.” “For me,” Hochstetler said, “it’s perfect.”

2510

Kevin Bestul has owned and operated EDI Marketing, 2510 S. Howell Ave., for 10 years. EDI specializes in business-to-business marketing and promotional merchandise—like pens, watches, and apparel—personalized with commercial logos.

Bestul’s offices are across Homer Street from St. Augustine Catholic Church, but he and his crew spend the majority of their time out on sales calls. “We poured a lot of money into my building, redid the façade,” he said. “I think people have been pouring more money into their properties.”

Bestul said it’s great that Alterra is coming and said losing the Bay View Schwartz Bookstore was a shame. “Alterra is not going to affect me one way or another but I’m hoping retailers will reap benefits,” he said.

2563

Kim Thomas lives in and operates her online business out of 2563 S. Howell Ave., property owned by Alvin J. Endries. Since February 2011 she’s been sewing tote bags, diaper bags, coin purses, and quilts on the third floor. Thomas sells these products and her custom vintage sewing patterns at madkdesigns.etsy.com.

In the late 1990s Thomas used to operate Kim’s Sewing Creations out of a different Howell Avenue storefront. That didn’t work out, but sewing has been her passion since she was 11 years old. Thomas also works full-time as an industrial sewer for the Comfort Company in New Berlin, where she makes cushions for wheelchairs.

Farther South

A cluster of businesses round out the survey near Howell’s intersection with Russell Avenue. Bay Tex, Inc. is a longtime screen printer at 2657 S. Howell Ave. Tiny Tykes Puppies opened in 2010 at 2661 S. Howell Ave. Suminski Community Development LLC owns building next door, 2663-65 S. Howell Ave. Across the street is Bay View Service, 2642 S. Howell Ave. Jim Baker’s Bay View Printing Company has remained a stalwart business bastion at 2702 S. Howell Ave. for decades.

Hub Super Market hopes to open liquor store in Bay View

Licenses update

The Backyard, AA Entertainment, LLC applied for a new Amusement Machine Premises licenses for 2155 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. on Dec. 2.

Bayview Liquor, MPR Corporation, applied for a new Class “A” Malt & Class “A” Liquor License for 2273 S. Howell Ave. on Dec. 6.

AK Food Mart applied for a new Class “A” Fermented Malt Beverage Retailer’s License for 2305 S. Howell Ave. on Dec. 16.

Fish farm creates jobs with city help

In less than a year, Sweet Water Organics, the Bay View-based fish and vegetable farm at 2151 S. Robinson Ave., has tapped over half of a $250,000 city loan intended to provide capital investment that spurs the creation of 40 jobs over four years.

The forgivable loan from the city’s Development Fund is in a segregated account that requires Department of City Development approval prior to use, according to Jeff Fleming, DCD spokesperson. As of mid-December 2011, Fleming said Sweet Water has drawn $155,000.

By Feb. 1, Sweet Water is required to file documentation with the Milwaukee Economic Development Corporation that establishes how many it employed in 2011, Fleming said.

To meet the terms of the loan, Sweet Water needed to employ 10 by the end of 2011, 21 by the end of 2012, 35 by the end of 2013, and 45 by the end of 2014.

If it meets its jobs targets, the entire loan is forgiven. If Sweet Water fails to meet its targets by each annual end-of-the-year deadline, it would be penalized by having to pay back a percentage of the loan. For example, if only five of 10 jobs were created, Sweet Water would be responsible to pay back 50 percent of the loan, with only 50 percent forgiven, Fleming said.

Prior to the influx of the public money, the business employed five, according to Todd Leech, Sweet Water vice-president and sales manager: owners Josh Fraundorf and Jim Godsil, Paul Bistan, Devin Fischer, and Leech himself. In December, Leech provided an updated list of eight additional employees added or rehired in 2011.

Three who had previously worked on a volunteer basis at Sweet Water are now full-time employees, Leech said: horticultural specialists Michelle Maslo and Jeanne Ramponi plus indoor systems specialist Scott Romanski. Ramponi also creates programs to provide autistic volunteers with job experience, Leech said.

Three others have “been around” and involved with Sweet Water’s nonprofit foundation, Leech said, but are now part-time employees who Leech hopes will become full-time: Toni Johns, Emma Kraco, and Margaret Muza.

Water scientist Mark Haase is also a part-time employee, according to Leech, and jack-of-all-trades Nick Montezon was re-added to the payroll in 2011.

Leech said Sweet Water also employs two farm workers in partnership with Goodwill’s TalentBridge: Alex McElroy and Derrick Ford.

Leech said Sweet Water also employs two students part-time through an MPS vocational rehabilitation program.

Sweet Water owner and founder Josh Fraundorf anticipates the first harvest from Sweet Water’s expanded outdoor greenhouses by April 1. Fraundorf expressed hope that Sweet Water would then have data showing a profitable farm.

“With the introduction of our new systems we should be running at a profit by late winter,” said Leech. “The construction of these systems was made possible in part by the city loan and will increase our production capacity by 1,000 percent while cutting our energy usage immensely.”

In late 2011, the Sweet Water Foundation, a nonprofit that partners with the for-profit Sweet Water Organics, moved into the office space vacated by Beepods.com, which moved its offices to Bucketworks. Snowfall Creative and Glass Aquatics currently maintain office space at the Sweet Water campus, according to Leech.

Leech is also coordinator and manager of the East Side Green Market, coordinator of Made in Milwaukee, and a board member of the Sweet Water Foundation.

Odd Duck, not sushi, now planned for Future Green

Odd Duck, a new bar and restaurant, is planned for the former Future Green building at 2352 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., the Compass has learned. The new business owners signed their lease with new property owner Sigfried Keller Dec. 28, 2011, but asked to remain anonymous for now.

Odd Duck’s full-service bar will feature hand-crafted cocktails. The restaurant will have about 16 tables. It will serve breakfast and lunch, featuring a casual farm-to-table menu of small plates and sandwiches.

The owners are Bay View residents. One has served as executive chef in restaurants in metro Milwaukee. The other has been a general manager of Milwaukee restaurants. The existing kitchen will not be remodeled or expanded. The owners hope to open Odd Duck this spring.

According to 14th District Alderman Tony Zielinski, Brian Park of Brookfield’s Wasabi Sushi & Lounge remains interested in a KK location for a Bay View restaurant.

 

Indoor/outdoor dog park for Bay View

In what is pawssibly a juicy bone for Milwaukee’s dog owners, a trio of self-financed female entrepreneurs are repurposing a former industrial property at the northwestern fringe of Bay View as Wisconsin’s first indoor dog park.

New business Bay View Bark, opened Nov. 25, provides socialization space for dogs and owners, rather than boarding pets while owners are away.

Since July, Sue Steinbach, 53, and Julia Van Treeck, 30, have been busy cleaning and painting the 10,000-square-foot warehouse at 2209 S. First St., part of the abandoned complex once used by Vilter Manufacturing Corporation in its production of refrigeration equipment. The space was last rented by AED Electronics. Historically it was used for a metal polishing operation. Bay View Bark is renting space currently owned by Asset Acquisitions Inc., 445 W. Oklahoma Ave.

Steinbach said she had been looking for years to find a suitable building for her dog park vision. She said she found it earlier this year when silent partner Tammy Neeb, 32, a property recording manager with the city of Milwaukee who lives in Bay View, recommended they look into this property owned by her uncle.

Inside, Bay View Bark has 4,000 square feet of heated dog play space, dividable into two zones, with an approximate capacity of 20-25 dogs. Rounding out the 7,000 square feet of currently usable space are also two dog-friendly lounges, a training area, plus an upstairs conference area capable of hosting 40 people. Steinbach and Van Treeck hope to open another 3,000 square feet of space in the back of the building by January.

Outside, there’s a 20,000-square-foot fenced-in yard lit by floodlights extending down to the floodplain of the Kinnickinnic River. Here dogs can roam free and humans can also enjoy a fire pit and picnic area. The river is fenced off, but there are emergency access gates, and in the future it’s conceivable that humans could paddle up with their pets.

Bay View Bark also sells pet food, treats, leashes, and harnesses. Dog training, grooming, and washing are also offered. Van Treeck may add dog massage in the future.

The concept is to create a social meeting space for bipeds and quadrupeds alike.

“We kind of wanted it to be a one-stop shop,” Steinbach said. “They could come here, buy dog food, work their dog, they could train with their dog.”

Locally Unique

Van Treeck believes Bay View Bark is the state’s first indoor dog park. Steinbach compared their one-stop-shop approach to All Dogs Unleashed in Dallas, Texas, formerly a 50,000 square foot indoor dog park that also offered boarding.

“We do believe that Bay View is a great market because there are an awful lot of families with dogs,” Steinbach said. But they’re also appealing to downtown condo owners and dog owners across Milwaukee who they hope find their proximity to the freeway convenient. A dog day pass is $5; a monthly pass $30; an annual, $250.

Bay View Bark is closed Mondays and Tuesdays, but by next summer the plan is to be open seven days a week and employ 5-10 part-time staff.

In addition to providing a warmer alternative to the county’s outdoor off-leash dog parks, Van Treeck said she and Steinbach monitor play activity for safety and also to educate owners. To use the facility, dogs need to be friendly with both other dogs and humans, who must demonstrate proof that Fido’s shots are up to date.

“I love people and their dogs, and to be able to interact with all these unique characters every day is extraordinarily rewarding for me,” Van Treeck said.

Bay View Bark

2209 S. First St.

(414) 763-1304

bayviewbark.com

Hours: Wed.-Fri., 12-8pm; Sat.-Sun, 9am-4pm

More water quality mini-grants

The Southeastern Wisconsin Watersheds Trust announced a second round of proposals for its 2011 Green Infrastructure Mini-Grant Program. The program will provide grants of $1,000 to $4,000 to established nonprofit organizations or community and civic groups for projects or activities which achieve healthy and sustainable water resources.

Close to $25,000 will be available for eligible proposed projects sited in the Kinnickinnic, Menomonee, Milwaukee, Root, and Oak Creek Rivers watersheds. Private businesses and units of government are not eligible; however, nonprofit organizations are encouraged to partner with local governments on efforts that meet Sweet Water’s overall water quality goals.

The program aims to support local, grassroots efforts that employ green infrastructure practices and activities that will improve water quality, enhance conservation, restore habitat, or educate people about these issues and associated stewardship actions.

More info: swwtwater.org or executive director Jeff Martinka, (414) 382-1766 or martinka@swwtwater.org.

Eden Foods closed

Like its namesake, it didn’t last long. The Middle Eastern grocer that opened in September at 4270 S. Howell Ave. closed in November.

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