In another sign that Water Street might be shedding some of its just-for-boozing mentality, The Corner, a mainly college-aged bar, has closed.
The Corner, at the intersection of Water and Knapp, was known for its drink specials and its "Bring Your Own Shoe" nights where bar patrons could drink free out of their, you guessed it, shoes.
"After six years, it's time for a change," The Corner owner Joe Sorge said last week when asked about the bar at 1247 N. Water St.
The Corner is officially closed and will re-open with assistance from the owners of the Eastsider, 1732 E. North Ave., in August, according to Sorge.
Sorge and his wife Angie also own and operate Water Buffalo and Swig, both in the Third Ward.
"Standards are changing (on Water Street)," noted Sorge, citing the new, upscale Fat Abbey Biercafe, 134 E. Juneau Ave., and the under-construction Residences on Water, a mixed-use project with a 121-unit Staybridge Suites by Intercontinental, 14,000 sq. ft. of retail space, and two levels of parking at corner of Water and Juneau.
In other news, Moxy, 2219 N. Farwell Ave., also closed. Most items have been removed from the East Side space, the store's Web site is down, owner Tyler Reiter hasn't returned e-mails and the voice mailbox at the store is full.
I'm always a bit saddened when a local retailer shuts its doors, but Moxy can be proud of its position as a fashion pioneer in Milwaukee. It sold higher-end denim, great T-shirts and funky accessories during a time when few other independent stores in the area were doing so.
One reason for the closing could be the one-way traffic on Farwell. Former East Side Ald. Mike D'Amato said as much to OnMilwaukee.com's Molly Snyder Edler in November 2007.
"I can't tell you how many people come to me saying they want to open a retail space in the area, but not on a one-way street. One-way streets kill retail. The day that we change Farwell to a two-way street, the value of that street increases exponentially because people now see both inbound and outbound traffic for their businesses."
In March 2008, Reiter told OnMilwaukee.com "We try to keep a mix of prices; not every shirt in here is $100 or $200."
In the same story Reiter also noted that Moxy's customer service set them apart. "We've actually won an award in Lucky magazine for our service. Customer service has always been our anchor."
A life-long and passionate community leader and Milwaukeean, Jeff Sherman is a co-founder of OnMilwaukee.
He grew up in Wauwatosa and graduated from Marquette University, as a Warrior. He holds an MBA from Cardinal Stritch University, and is the founding president of Young Professionals of Milwaukee (YPM)/Fuel Milwaukee.
Early in his career, Sherman was one of youngest members of the Greater Milwaukee Committee, and currently is involved in numerous civic and community groups - including board positions at The Wisconsin Center District, Wisconsin Club and Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. He's honored to have been named to The Business Journal's "30 under 30" and Milwaukee Magazine's "35 under 35" lists.
He owns a condo in Downtown and lives in greater Milwaukee with his wife Stephanie, his son, Jake, and daughter Pierce. He's a political, music, sports and news junkie and thinks, for what it's worth, that all new movies should be released in theaters, on demand, online and on DVD simultaneously.
He also thinks you should read OnMilwaukee each and every day.
