Milwaukee Boot Co., the retail storefront for Milwaukee-based Well Dressed Men Footwear & Accessories (WDM), is expanding its operations with the addition of a 2,800-square-foot store at The Avenue at 301 W. Wisconsin Ave. in downtown Milwaukee.
Milwaukee Boot Co., a handcrafted leather shoe and accessories retailer, will take over the space currently occupied by Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design Gallery, which opened in 2021. The MIAD Gallery will move to a different location within The Avenue.
The decision to open this location stemmed from an increase in sales at Milwaukee Boot Co.’s Iron Horse storefront and the desire to become more immersed in the downtown Milwaukee retail scene, said Justine Schauer, director of operations at WDM.
“We are excited to have Milwaukee represented in the area,” Schauer said.
Schauer hopes to triple sales in the new location with added exposure to the local customer base and the tourist community.
The Milwaukee Night Market as well as the potential partnership with 3rd Street Market Hall vendors was a factor in the expansion as well, she said.
Milwaukee Boot Co. plans to take over the space at the start of the lease in April after The Avenue completes a renovation, adding another entrance to the front of the store. Few changes will be made to the inside of the space beyond aesthetic updates. New furniture made on-site and a section dedicated to WDM’s other subsidiary Moral Code, which features men’s leather shoes and accessories similar to Milwaukee Boot Co.’s, will be featured in the store. The space is planned to open in spring.
Milwaukee Boot Co. has grown since the establishment of its first brick-and-mortar location on West Florida Street in late 2019. Three years later in June 2022, the company moved its operations to a smaller space inside the Iron Horse Hotel. Although the new space at the Iron Horse was about one third the size of its original space, sales tripled within a short period of time. The increase in sales at its Iron Horse storefront helped set growth expectations for the opening of its downtown storefront.
“We’ll be able to showcase more product and increase sales and visibility,” Schauer said.
The new store will act as a flagship debut for Milwaukee Boot Co.’s entry into the standalone retail scene.
Its location at the Iron Horse Hotel will remain for now, but WDM is flexible to change, Schauer said.
