Yarn store opening in Bay View

Melina Gingras is opening Midwest Yarn June 5 in the former eco • batik store, 3385 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.

She will be selling yarn and arts/crafts on consignment. Gingras will also be offering knitting classes and knitting gatherings.

More info will be published about this new business in the June Compass.

The brouhaha that Brew Haus built

“Was you ever bit by a dead bee?”

That’s what Eddie (Walter Brennan) asks Slim (Lauren Bacall) in the 1944 film To Have and Have Not. Then he adds, “You know, you gotta be careful of dead bees…they can sting you just as bad as live ones.”

Tim Brodersen, aka Brody, the proprietor of Down and Over, formerly the Bay View Brew Haus, 2534 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., may have felt that he had trodden on some of those “dead bees” April 24 as he was confronted by a group of angry and disgruntled neighbors.

His irate neighbors shared the sentiment. They had been subject to loud music, car alarms, noisy loiterers, and acts that defiled property and deprived them of sleep since 2009 when the Brew Haus opened. They had already been stung and they were there to say no more.

The bite

The Down And Over’s first-floor main hall was filled with about 130 people who came to the meeting organized by District 14 Alderman Tony Zielinski to allow residents to air their opinions about Brodersen’s liquor license application.

This is Brodersen’s second bar; he has owned and operated Up And Under, also a live music venue, at 1216 E. Brady St., for six years.

Brodersen purchased the building April 4 from Stephen Fix, who had negotiated a purchase via land contract from owner Arthur Manske. Before Fix opened the bar in the building, once a Masonic temple, Manske had operated a banquet hall business there.

Fix acquired the building in 2009, where he intended, but never fully launched, the microbrewery he planned to operate on the first floor.

Along with the real estate, Brodersen also acquired Fix’s corporation, Spectacle Enterprises—with its liquor license.

In Wisconsin, a liquor license can be issued to a corporation. “The corporation is the actual licensee and the corporation designates a person as agent,” according to Jessica Celella, specialist in Milwaukee’s City Licensing Division. The new agent, in this case Brodersen, then has ten days to file the change of agent with the city. Brodersen did so, he said, on March 29, the day he and Fix were originally scheduled to close the sale of the Brew Haus.

The city’s License Committee and the Common Council must approve the change of agent. Brodersen’s hearing before the committee is May 7, and if approved the change of agent will be forwarded for a vote by the Common Council May 22.

Brodersen must again appear before the License Committee and Common Council in June, when the license is up for annual renewal.

Twice bitten

Joanie Kitzrow contacted the Compass April 23 to voice her opposition to the new tavern. She claimed that she represented the opinion and sentiment of a number of her neighbors, who like herself, were planning to oppose Brodersen’s tavern license. During the tenure of former Bay View Brew Haus owner Stephen Fix, Kitzrow said that she and her neighbors were often disturbed by loud music from the bar and by Brew Haus patrons who boisterously loitered outside the bar, and littered and urinated on their properties.

She and husband Terry Kitzrow, she said, felt betrayed by Stephen Fix, who stated during a public meeting concerning his plans for the Bay View Brew Haus, that his establishment planned to book live music but that he would restrict it to acoustic music because he wanted to respect the neighbors in the vicinity of the bar.

Kitzrow said that she contacted Zielinski April 2, the day before the spring election in which Zielinski was defending his aldermanic seat, “when we heard a rumor that a new bar was to open” in the former Bay View Brew Haus. Zielinski told her he was not aware of “any bar opening there,” Kitzrow said.

However, the Compass contacted Zielinski for comment March 28, the morning after we published a notice on this newspaper’s website of the pending sale of the Brew Haus to Brodersen. Zielinski replied that he had just learned of the pending sale that morning when he read it online.

On April 3, at Zielinski’s election celebration, Kitzrow said that she had spoken again to Zielinski about the bar. Kitzrow claimed  Zielinski said, “If they open with live music, I will shut them down.”

Zielinski said he does not recall talking to Kitzrow April 2, the day before the spring election. He said he talked to so many people that day that he may have spoken to her but could not be sure. He did verify that he spoke with Kitzrows April 3 at his election party but he disagrees with her rendition of their conversation, denying he told them he’d call the police if Brodersen opened with live music. “She’s wrong! Why would I tell her that!” he said.

The sting

Having established his legal right to operate the bar, Brodersen opened for business Friday, April 6. Brodersen was unprepared for the drama that ensued. The police, at Alderman Zielinski’s bidding, showed up and closed him down. “I was really angry when the police showed up,” Brodersen said, “because I had been trying to do all the right things.”

Zielinski said he called the cops because he thought the bar was operating without a license. Brodersen, who said that he’s mended fences with Zielinski since the April 6 shutdown, observed that Zielinski should have been aware of the intended purchase. “About two weeks before the closing was planned (on March 30),” Brodersen said, “I called Zielinski’s office to introduce myself and tell him my plans.” Because Zielinski was not available, Brodersen said he left a message with the alderman’s staffer. He attempted to contact Zielinski again by email on April 4, Brodersen said. “I didn’t hear anything from Zielinski, Brodersen said, “so I opened April 6th.”

That night, neighbors Joanie and Terry Kitzrow, whose home is directly west of the bar, alerted Zielinski that the bar had opened and music was blaring from within. Zielinski responded by calling the police and instructing them to shut Brodersen down.

April 24 meeting

Those who voiced their opposition to Brodersen, an animated group of about ten who were most vexed, all spoke of their distrust of Brodersen based on their experience with Fix and the Brew Haus disturbances. One spoke of vomit on his car, others of car alarms, loud voices at closing time, urination on their property, and littering. It was blaring music that caused the most distress and those who were affected by it were especially grieved because they said Fix promised that he would only book acoustic bands, a promise he didn’t keep.

“The Fixes (Steve and his father Matt) lied. We’ve been duped one too many times,” Terry Kitzrow said. “You can’t insulate bass. We can feel it in our house. The music on April 6th rattled our windows. We don’t want the Brady Street Circus in our neighborhood.”

Brodersen, sometimes appearing like the proverbial deer in the headlights, took pains to address his detractors. He pointed out the investment he’s made in the main room’s acoustics: he relined the walls with wallboard, filled in at least six of the room’s windows and attached hinged shutters to the windows that remain. Underneath the 5/8” drywall, he’s painted a special acoustic compound to deaden the sound generated within. He said he’s going to add soundproofed doors to the main entry (from Kinnickinnic) and was probably going to invest in special soundproofing paint for the exit door on the west wall. He also pointed to a new Bose speaker system that would help keep the sound inside, and said that he’s been taking readings of the decibel levels from within and without, as work progressed.

Brodersen appealed to his opponents, asking them to give him a chance and indicating that he hoped he might begin to win their trust and confidence based on the acoustical remediation he’d invested in. Later he said that if necessary, he would hire a second security person to patrol and control patrons on the exterior of the building because he wanted to avoid the problems his neighbors on Kinnickinnic and Otjen said they’d had with the Brew Haus.

Chris Lehman, who said he does the sound for Chill On The Hill, the summer concert series in Humboldt Park, defended Brodersen and the acoustical modifications he had made, pointing to the window shutters and then the Bose speakers. “This is the highest technology out here. This is the top of the line technology made for a room this size,” he said. By contrast, he said that Fix’s sound system was made for a room many, many times larger.

Brodersen said he plans to book live music Fridays and Saturdays, karaoke Mondays, open mic for musicians Wednesdays, and Swing Dance Thursdays.

Terry Kitzrow, unconvinced and again citing the previous owners, who booked bands that played loud music late into the night said, “I have an Ambien habit from the Fixes.”

The number of those in the audience who spoke in support of Brodersen was greater than those who spoke in opposition. They attested to his character, their experience with his bar on Brady Street, either as musicians, or in some cases, some who live or lived near the bar.

Zielinski brought the meeting to a close with a reminder that Brodersen’s hearing before the License Committee is May 7. He distributed notecards that he advised people to complete with their name, address, and their disposition, for or against, Brodersen’s liquor license. He said those who could not attend the hearing could have their voice heard via their written testimony on the notecards.

Audience member Patty Pritchard Thompson questioned the validity of the cards. She asked Zielinski if they would be admitted at the committee hearing. Zielinski said that it was not the norm, but that he would ask the committee chair to allow them.

Ironically, two days later, Common Council President Willie Hines appointed Zielinski as the new chair of the License Committee.

 

 

Fair Trade Crawl May 12

World Fair Trade Day will be celebrated in Milwaukee with the Fifth Annual Greater Milwaukee Fair Trade Crawl Saturday, May 12.

Locally owned fair trade shops and cafés in Metro Milwaukee are hosting special sales, tastings, and other activities during the crawl. In Bay View, Anodyne Coffee, Outpost Natural Foods, Stone Creek Coffee, and Sven’s European Café are participating. The event is sponsored by the Milwaukee Fair Trade Coalition.

This year’s Fair Trade Crawl theme is “Know Your Producer; Know Your Product.” “The theme was chosen to encourage people to think about where their products come from and the human beings who made them,” said Gail Bennett-Christian, an event organizer and owner of Wauwatosa-based retail store Fair Trade For All. Although fair trade networks focus mainly on fighting poverty in developing countries, she said, the event aims to educate consumers about the importance of treating all workers with fairness, including those in the United States.

Crawl participants may start at any of the participating businesses, where they will receive a “crawl passport.” At each stop, crawl shoppers will be encouraged to look for that venue’s “featured product” and record the product’s name in their passport. Shoppers who find the featured products at six shops receive a fair trade prize at any of the three Outpost Natural Foods stores between 3 and 5pm that day. Prizes include Wigwam socks, coffee, soap, nut butters, towels, and more.

The Fair Trade Crawl was a marketing concept created by Milwaukee Fair Trade Coalition volunteers in 2007 to promote Milwaukee’s Fair Trade City status and venues. Last year 800 shoppers participated.

According to Wikipedia, “Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as higher social and environmental standards.”

More info: milwaukeefairtradecoalition.org.

Bay View resident Relay Rides’ first

Bay View resident Chris Gross was the first Milwaukee resident to list his vehicle on peer car-sharing rental site RelayRides.com. Founded in 2010 in Boston, it opened a second operation in San Francisco, Calif., the same year. Last month the company expanded the business nationwide.

The service allows car owners to rent their vehicles for a day, week, or longer to members of the community.

At press time, Gross’ 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe rental fees were listed as $9.25/hour or $46.25/ day. Car owners set their own prices. More info: relayrides.com

Goodwill Store & Donation Center proposed

A Goodwill Store & Donation Center is proposed for the southwest corner of Chase and Oklahoma avenues, adjacent to the Piggly Wiggly Store.

The project consists of a newly constructed 20,000 square-foot Goodwill Retail Store & Donation Center, including a 2,000 square-foot Goodwill Workforce Connection Center located within the retail store.

Along with the building permit process, submittals will be required to BOZA (Board of Zoning Appeals) for approval on the special use (selling used garments) required to operate a Goodwill Retail Store & Donation Center in the LB2 Zoning District. Goodwill plans to begin construction this summer and complete open in February 2013.

District 14 Alderman Zielinski is holding a public meeting about the development Tuesday, May 1, 6pm in the Ray Dietrich Auditorium, Bay View High School.

For details about the development see bayviewcompass.com/archives/10934.

Studio M Boudoir Photography

Melissa Yokofich opened Studio M Boudoir Photography in Bay View’s Hide House in April, lured by the generous 2,400 square-foot studio space, friendly neighbors, and sense of community among artists. Her specialty is the boudoir photography genre—tasteful, sexy fine art portraiture of women.

“We specialize in providing the ultimate boudoir experience in Milwaukee. All of our sessions include onsite hair styling and makeup application so clients feel pampered and look their boudoir best,” Yokofich said.

Clients receive consultations before their photo sessions where they receive advice about wardrobe and posing to flatter their body type. “Our photography results in beautifully sexy, tasteful, and intimate images that women can treasure for themselves or a significant other,” Yokofich said. Her clients book a session because they want a portrait to mark a special occasion like an engagement, special birthday, or to give as a gift.

Sessions start at $299 and range up to $795, though most clients upgrade their sessions, Yokofich said. Studio M offers a single portrait, customized photo albums, digital images, and framed images printed on canvas. Her services include professional photo retouching.

Another option that some of her clients elect is a calendar featuring a different portrait for each month of the year. She has clients who return each year to make another calendar, or to celebrate an anniversary. Some women do their boudoir sessions while pregnant and come back after they’ve lost the baby-weight.

A military brat, “Yokofich lived all over the world as a child. She said that her love for photography was born when she lived in Europe. “There’s so much amazing architecture and just, gorgeousness, to love and appreciate,” she said.

After graduating from high school in England, she moved to Omaha, Neb., where her extended family lives. She worked at a brokerage firm to pay for college. She met her husband there. They moved to Milwaukee in 2001 to be near his family, and where Yokofich worked at financial firms until 2010.

Yokofich’s love of photography evolved into a passion after she had children. She began moonlighting as a photographer, shooting newborns, families, children, and on occasion, a wedding.

“I saw that boudoir was starting to come back in other parts of the country in early 2009, and I got a group of girlfriends together and started shooting. I absolutely fell in love. The images are artistic and beautiful, and more importantly, they allow women to see themselves as the beautiful sexy women they are.

“I love helping women feel beautiful and challenging the popular standards of beauty and sex appeal,” said Yokofich. “The majority of my clients are real women. They’re not Giselle-clones or Victoria’s Secret lookalike-types. They’re real people—they have kids… I’ve shot several women for their 50th birthdays, which I absolutely love. I love that women can be sexy and still feel sexy—it’s inspiring,” Yokofich said.

She left her job as a compliance consultant in 2010 and devoted herself to her photography business full-time. She worked out of a studio in Oak Creek before relocating to the Hide House.

Yokofich is considering throwing a grand opening gala to celebrate her new studio. If so, she plans to reveal the results of a secret project she’s been working on at the gala—a set of 21 photographs and interviews of clients who talk about their boudoir photo-experience.

Yokofich hopes the interviews will dispel misconceptions or fears that someone considering a boudoir session might have. She is also planning a free, Friday night makeup application class to help market her business. The goal, she said, “is to get people into the studio…have them feel a little bit sexy,” Yokofich said. It will be an opportunity for women to come in, learn how to do their makeup, see the studio, meet me, meet my makeup artist, see how things look in here, and just kind of check the place out.

Boudoir is a woman’s bedroom or private sitting room, and comes from the French bouder, which means to pout. It has since evolved to describe sexy fine art portraiture for women. — From the Q&A section of Studio M’s website.

Studio M Boudoir Photography
(414) 467-8338
2612 S. Greeley Suite 230, Milwaukee
StudioMBoudior.com + Facebook

Shoeology closed

Retail shoe and clothing business Shoeology, 2510 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., that opened in April 2012, has closed. Owners Gary and Jennifer Ford relocated to Texas. Building owner Steve Ste. Marie is seeking a new tenant for the boutique-sized space located adjacent to his Maytag Laundromat.

Bella’s restaurant building sold

The former Bella’s Fat Cat restaurant, 2737 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., was purchased by SK Management, LLC. Shirley Konopski is the registered agent for the property.

Konopski said she was thinking of “maybe putting a Mexican restaurant” in the former burgers and custard venue, but that nothing has been finalized.

Tim Olson, who is working with Konopski, said that he’s making roof and plumbing repairs and cleaning the interior of the restaurant and intends to look for a leasing agent who will locate a tenant. Olson thinks there’s a fair chance that a restaurant may lease the space since the building is equipped with a kitchen.

In addition to the 3,895-square-foot restaurant space, there is another 1,700 square foot office space on the south end of the building that was last occupied by Kinetic Realty.

Michael and Kim Schmidt formerly owned the building and operated Bella’s Fat Cat Frozen Custard & Jumbo Burgers.

The city didn’t renew their operating licenses in July 2010 due to multiple outstanding tax warrants. The owners were forced to close the restaurant the following September.

At that time, the Journal Sentinel reported that Park Bank was granted possession of Bella’s Fat Cat Ltd.’s company assets. They also foreclosed on the 2737 S. KK property, which was owned by Bella’s Holdings, LLC, another of the Schmidts’ firms.

SK Management acquired the property from Stearns Bank of St. Cloud, Minn.

Wild Flour Bakery expanding to East Troy, organic bread

Wild Flour Bakery & Café is expanding into the organic bread market and opening a baking and retail facility in East Troy, Wis.

The new operation is located on the property of the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute (MFAI), W2493 County Road ES. Established in 1984, MFAI is a farm and research center dedicated to developing agriculture that sustains the land and its resources.

The new East Troy Wild Flour Bakery will feature a retail store and café similar to the Wild Flour Bakery Café locations in Milwaukee. The owners anticipate that they will begin baking in mid-May and open for business in June. They project that the expansion will create up to 15 new jobs in the bakery, storefront, and distribution.

“Wild Flour is very excited about expanding our wholesale offering in Southeastern Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota,” said company vice president, Josh Mertens. “Not only are we bringing back the famous Nokomis bread lines, but this is also an opportunity for us to bring our existing Wild Flour products to the East Troy area.  We are looking forward to being a part of the community.”

Josh Mertens is the son of Dolly and Greg Mertens, who own and operate four Wild Flour bakeries in Milwaukee and South Milwaukee. The opened their first bakery in 1996.

Wild Flour will operate in the former Nokomis Bakery at MFAI and reintroduce 14 varieties of Nokomis organic and wheat-alternative breads, using the original recipes. Mertens said that they have acquired the right to the Nokomis brand name but they haven’t decided how they will incorporate the name on their labels. He said the new line will be branded with the Wild Flour Bakery name that he wants to include a reference to Nokomis.

Wild Flour’s Nokomis breads will include one or two low-gluten or gluten-free breads.

Mertens plans to bake some of the organic bread in an outdoor wood-fire oven, which was part of the Nokomis baking operation. He estimates that the oven’s capacity is about thirty loaves. He said they will also mill organic grains on site.

Wild Flour will partner with MFAI on a variety of events, including classes about bread baking and pizza-making using the wood-burning oven.

Mertens said they will cater to Michael Fields visitors who come to explore the gardens and hike the trails by making coffee and sandwiches available to them. The gardens and trails are maintained by MFAI.

Wild Flour Bakery & Café is a family-owned business with over 16 years of experience in the baking industry. They have received numerous awards, including the Bakery of the Year Award from the Wisconsin Bakers Association, as well as the 2010 Greater Milwaukee Committee Inner City Business Award.

Wild Flour currently features four locations: 2800 W. Lincoln Ave.; 275 W. Wisconsin Ave. (Grand Avenue); 422 E. Lincoln Ave. (Bay View); and 1205 Milwaukee Ave. in South Milwaukee.

Welcome to Bay View?

This was the dramatic state of the dumpsters behind G. Groppi’s Food Market, 1441 East Russell Ave., in the morning of April 13.

Market co-owner John Nehring, when contacted for comment about the state of the back of his lot, said that Waste Management truck drivers have a difficult time getting their truck into the area behind the store. “Once in a while they can’t get in, and they leave the trash,” he said, from his  Shorewood Sendik’s store. But even so, he added, we should not permit the recyclables to get to this state.

Since the expansion of the building last year, which reduced the area of the parking lot on the west side of the market, access to the dumpsters is restricted by the current placement of the large green containers.

Nehring said that within a month or so, the parking lot will be repaved and the curb cut to allow garbage trucks to back into the lot. The surface will be paved with poured concrete; the dumpster area will be fenced so the bins will no longer be visible from the street and sidewalk.

Some of the residents near the store have complained about the odors produced by the refuse behind Groppi’s.

“I live a couple blocks away from Groppi’s, on Russell Avenue,” said Joseph Surcharda. “My family and I shop there frequently—even though their beer prices are way out of line, but that’s another issue, ha-ha—and also walk past their property quite a bit on our neighborhood jaunts. Where [the dumpsters] are positioned now, you can see and smell all of their garbage… It creates a horrible first impression of their store for anyone shopping there, and I’m definitely not the only one that thinks this way.”

Another resident who lives on Wentworth Avenue near the store, but who didn’t want to be identified, said that the garbage often reeks, especially during the warm weather.

Nehring said that he pays $500 a month to have the garbage picked up at Groppi’s. They recycle as much material as possible but can’t recycle the waxed boxes that much of their produce is delivered in.

When asked if he worked with Kompost Kids (see page 1),  he said he was not aware of the organization’s services but planned to consult with them.

Nehring arranged for the recyclables to be packed up in Bay View and transferred to his Sendik’s store within an hour of the Compass’ contact for comment about the overflowing dumpsters.

Nehring said he intends to establish a second patio in a section of the renovated back lot this summer.

Future Down and Over tavern license considered tonight at public meeting

A public meeting is scheduled tonight at 6pm in the former Bay View Brew Haus, 2534 S. Kinnickinnic. District 14 Ald. Tony Zielinski is hosting the meeting to take public comment concerning the tavern license application of Tim Brodersen whose hearing before the city’s License Committee is May 7. The Common Council votes on his application May 22.

Brodersen purchased the property March 30 from former owner Stephen Fix who had held a land contract to purchase the property from owner Arthur Manske. Manske had operated a banquet hall in the premise.

Brodersen opened the tavern April 6. On that evening, neighbors Joanie and Terry Kitzrow whose home is directly west of the bar alerted Ald. Zielinski  to complain that the bar had opened. Zielinski responded by calling the police and instructed them Brodersen shut down.

Neighborhood Opposition

Joanie Kitzrow contacted the Compass April 23 to voice her opposition to the new tavern. She claimed that she represented the opinion and sentiment of a number of her neighbors who are planning to oppose Brodersen’s tavern license. She said that during the tenure of former Bay View Brew Haus owner Stephen Fix, her property was subject to litter and urination by Brew Haus patrons. Kitzrow said that she and her neighbors were often disturbed by loud music from the bar and by patrons who loitered outside the bar.

She and her husband Terry Kitzrow, she said, felt betrayed by Stephen Fix, who stated during a public meeting concerning his plans for the Bay View Brew Haus, that his establishment planned to book live music but that he would restrict it acoustic music because he wanted to respect the neighbors surrounding the bar.

Kitzrow said that she contacted Ald. Zielinski April 2, the day before the spring election in which Zielinski was defending aldermanic seat, “when we heard a rumor that a new bar was to open” in the shuttered Bay View Brew Haus. She claims that Zielinski told her that he was not aware of any bar opening. The following evening, at Zielinski’s election celebration, Kitzrow claimed that she again asked Zielinski about the bar. Kitzrow said that Zielinski replied, “If they open with live music, I will shut them down.”

Zielinski denies that he told Kitzrow on April 2 that he was unaware of the Brew Haus sale. He confirmed that he spoke to her at his April 3 election party and promised to send the police, if Brodersen had live music at the bar.

The Compass contacted Ald. Zielinski for comment March 29, the day after we published a notice of the pending sale of the Brew Haus to Brodersen. Zielinski said that he just learned of the pending sale that day and claimed he was completely unaware until  “today when I read it online.”

He also said that he contacted the Milwaukee Police Department’s License Investigation Unit on March 29 or thereabouts to inform them that Brodersen stated publicly that he intended to begin operating March 29th.

The police met with Brodersen and informed him that he must have Stephen Fix’s agent status transferred to Brodersen before he could operate, said Zielinski.

In order for Brodersen to operate the bar before being granted a tavern license, Wisconsin law provides that the new owner must become the successor agent of the corporation who holds the current license. The successor agent can operate until he/she is granted his/her license. The license was held by Spectacle Enterprises, Inc., and the agent to whom the license was granted was Stephen Fix.

Zielinski said that he closed Brodersen down April 6 because he didn’t know that Brodersen had in fact become the new agent. The following day, April 7, Zielinski said he consulted Brodersen, who confirmed that he had been appointed as agent, that he had informed the Licenses Division of the change, completed their paperwork, and was informed by their staff that he could operate. He resumed operation April 20. His attorney’s letter informing the city of the agent-status change was hand delivered to the city April 12.

Kitzrow said that she and her neighbor will oppose a tavern license for Brodersen.

A Goodwill Store & Donation Center is proposed for Bay View

Ald. Tony Zielinski announced today a tentative meeting scheduled for Tuesday, May 1 at 6pm to discuss the proposed Goodwill development on Chase and Oklahoma. Location to be announced.

Background:

Source: Goodwill Industries

A Goodwill Store & Donation Center is proposed for the southwest corner of Chase and Oklahoma avenues, adjacent to the Piggly Wiggly Store.

The project consists of a newly constructed 20,000 square-foot Goodwill Retail Store & Donation Center, including a 2,000 square-foot Goodwill Workforce Connection Center located within the retail store.

Along with the building permit process, submittals will be required to BOZA (Board of Zoning Appeals) for approval on the special use required to operate a Goodwill Retail Store & Donation Center (Secondhand Store) in the LB2 Zoning District. The goal is to start the approval process as soon as possible and commence construction in the summer of 2012 for a Grand Opening in February, 2013.

The proposed development blends in with the existing uses of the neighborhood and with other permitted uses in the LB2 Zoning District. There is an existing Piggly Wiggly grocery store, an Arby’s fast food restaurant, and a vacant Citgo Gas station all within this development. To the north is an industrial building (Mac Tech) and to the south is another retail development with Pick ’n Save and Home Depot. To the west are more industrial type uses and to the east is another fast food restaurant (Wendy’s) and some residential. There are also several other existing and operating retail businesses to the north on Chase Avenue as well as several other industrial buildings.

Goodwill Store & Donation Center

Goodwill Retail Services, Inc. currently operates 46 retail stores in Southeastern Wisconsin and Northeastern Illinois. Goodwill Stores & Donation Centers are retail stores specializing in the resale of quality donated items. Goodwill gives their patrons the opportunity to sign up for a loyalty program called Club Goodwill, as a member, you will receive extra discounts and email alerts of special events. Club Goodwill has over 700,000 members throughout their territory, of which, 3,663 reside within the 53207 zip code area and 7,958 reside within the 53215 zip code area so, more than 11,000 Club Goodwill members reside within the demographic serving the proposed project.

This store will include an easily accessible donations drop-off along the north façade of the building. There donors will be greeted by an attendant who will unload their donated goods, and provide them with a receipt, which may be used for tax purposes.

These donations are sorted for quality, priced for sale, and brought to the sales floor. There is an ongoing rotation of fresh merchandise brought to the sales floor. Merchandise on the sales floor turns over every 3 to 4 weeks and on average 60-70% of all donations are sold. Merchandise not fit for sale is baled and sent to a distribution center, where it will be sold for salvage or recycled.

All of these services are handled within the footprint of the building; no outdoor storage or trash is planned for this project. A compactor, with interior access only, is used for trash disposal. It is estimated that each Goodwill Store & Donation Center recycles 2 million pounds of goods each year. Aside from the positive environmental impact on landfills, this reduces a community’s trucking and hauling expenses, saving tax payers tens of thousands of dollars each year.

Goodwill installs interior and exterior web-based 24-hour surveillance cameras at all sites. Along with posting signs and providing a very clean, well-maintained site, these cameras deter any donors from dropping off items outside of normal business hours.

The proposed store in Bay View (Milwaukee) will employ 40-50 individuals in full- or part-time employment, ranging from management to supervisory, to various production, and customer service opportunities. Half or more are full time positions and flexible to the needs of the individual. Goodwill extends competitive wages and offers a comprehensive benefits package.

Goodwill Store and Donation Centers operate seven days a week. Monday through Friday stores operate from 9am-9pm, Saturday from 9am-7pm, and Sunday from 10am-6pm. Each day, the donation entrance opens one hour earlier to accept donations for the convenience of our donors.

There is very limited truck traffic related to the operation. In addition to an occasional delivery of supplies by UPS or similar provider, a Goodwill truck will service the store approximately 3-5 times per week, during normal operating hours, via the truck dock. No trucks will be left onsite, unless inside the loading dock and no products or pallets will be stored outside the building.

Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin relies heavily on the revenue generated from these Retail Store & Donation Centers to help fund their mission. Goodwill’s mission is to provide training, employment, and supportive services for people with disabilities or disadvantages who seek greater independence. Goodwill served just over 47,000 individuals last year alone.

Goodwill Workforce Connection Center Goodwill’s Workforce Connection Center is designed to provide assistance to people who are unemployed or underemployed. The center offers help throughout the job search process and helps users develop pre-employment job search skills. The center does not provide vocational or skill training which would prepare individuals for employment in a specific industry. This Workforce Connection Center will be accessed through a separate door inside the building via the Retail Store & Donation Center sales floor.

Goodwill’s Workforce Connection Centers offers resources such as computers, internet access, printers, fax machines, telephone and email access; resume and cover letter preparation; job postings and onsite interviewing; as well as career exploration and assessment tools. Services are provided to a wide range of people, from individuals in entry-level positions to professionals, all at no cost and with no referrals required. There are currently 3 workforce connection centers in Wisconsin and 3 centers in Illinois.

Employers also benefit by the Workforce Connection Center providing them with a resource they can use to more efficiently identify and pre-screen job candidates. In some cases,

Goodwill’s Workforce Connection Center staff will work with an employer to match individual candidates to a specific job. Other times, employers meet multiple prospective employees at on-site recruitment events. The classroom area at the center would be used to host these on-site employer recruitment activities.

The Workforce Connection Center in Milwaukee will serve dozens of people every week. This location was selected because it is centrally located and there are limited workforce resources in the area. There is a demonstrated need in the surrounding communities given the high unemployment rates.

The Center will have three on-site staff members: one full-time Connection Center Manager; one full-time Facilitator; and one full-time Customer Relations person. The Workforce Connection Center will operate Monday through Friday, 9amm-5pm.

Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin, Inc. Goodwill’s mission is to provide training, employment and supportive services to individuals with disabilities or disadvantages who seek greater independence. Founded in 1919, Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin, Inc. is the largest of 168 Goodwill affiliates in the US and Canada. Its territory encompasses 13 counties in Wisconsin and 10 counties in Illinois. It employs approximately 5,000 people. Last year, Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin and Metropolitan Chicago provided services to approximately 47,000 individuals.

 

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