After southeast Wisconsin suffered what many meteorologists have described as a “once in a thousand years” flooding event Saturday, many local business owners are reeling as they figure out how to navigate with millions of dollars in damages.
The National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan office estimated between 7 and 12 inches of rain fell Saturday evening into Sunday, with areas including the village of Wauwatosa being hit the hardest.
Café Hollander, located at 7677 W. State St., is closed for the next six weeks as approximately 80% of the restaurant’s equipment was ruined. Eric Wagner, founder and CEO at Lowlands Group, which owns Cafe Hollander, said he wouldn’t be surprised if repair costs approach $1 million.
Wagner first began receiving calls early on the morning of Aug. 10 informing him that some water was leaking into Café Hollander’s kitchen. Just a few hours later, employees working the morning shift had to evacuate.
“By nine o’clock, the water was hitting the underside of the bridge,” he said. “It was about 4 feet up on our door in the kitchen.”
The restaurant is targeting Sept. 28 for a re-opening date, just in time for TosaFest. However, just the bar will be open for the event.
Lowland Group’s Buckatabon Tavern & Supper Club, located right up the street from Café Hollander, was not damaged during Saturday’s storm.
Buckatabon is adding breakfast service for the next several weeks to give employees extra work hours and offer the community another option for breakfast.
All 75 employees at the Wauwatosa Café Hollander location have been placed at other Lowlands Group restaurants temporarily.
The Milwaukee Rep’s new production facility, located at 1300 Glenview Place in Wauwatosa, suffered $5 million in damages. The building was filled with three feet of water, according to a statement from Milwaukee Rep.
“Our production center houses our scenic and paint shops, as well as much of our equipment, set and prop storage,” said Chad Bauman, executive director of the Milwaukee Repertory Theater.
Still, Milwaukee Rep is planning to launch its 2025/2026 season as planned at its rebuilt home in downtown Milwaukee, the Associated Bank Theater Center.
Tosa Yoga, located at 6734 W. North Ave., experienced about an inch of flooding throughout the entirety of its main floor.
“We unfortunately had to tear out our yoga room floor,” according to a post from the business. “While we wait for new flooring to arrive and be installed, we are going to have some classes at alternate locations.”
Draft & Vessel, located at 7479 Harwood Ave., managed to escape the flood without any major damage.
“We didn’t have any serious damage to report. Small leaks here and there. Some water in the basement of our other locations,” said Nathaniel Davauer, owner of Draft & Vessel, which also has a Shorewood location. “With our Tosa location being high on the hill, it was dry.”
The Village of Wauwatosa, in partnership with the Wauwatosa BID, have launched a fundraiser to help repair village infrastructure and support businesses impacted by the flood.
Milwaukee businesses
Videos of Canal Street in the Menomonee Valley completely underwater circulated on social media over the weekend. Guests at Potawatomi Casino Hotel were trapped as the underground valet garage experienced “significant flooding.”
The casino was still pumping water from its valet garage and the first floor of its parking structure early this week.
“For our guest’s safety, the garage remains closed while we wait for the water to fully recede,” according to a statement from Potawatomi Casino Hotel. “Our team is monitoring the situation closely and will provide updates as soon as it is safe to retrieve vehicles. Unfortunately, due to the amount of water that has entered the garage, we anticipate patron vehicles have sustained damage.”
The Mothership bar, located at 2301 S. Logan Ave. in Bay View, also shared a Facebook post on Monday stating the bar’s basement was completely underwater due to flooding.
“It’s beyond devastating,” reads the post. “Our ice machines and water heater were floating through the basement, destroying all of our equipment. All our merch is gone… one-of-a-kind bottles of booze, you name it we lost it.
There isn’t a current estimate on when The Mothership might be able to reopen.
Molson Coors, which operates Miller Brewery along State Street in Milwaukee, said it had to temporarily close its visitor center earlier this week due to “minor impacts from the storm.”
“Brewery operations continue to be up and running as usual,” said the company in a statement. “We look forward to welcoming the community to experience the brewery as soon as we’re able.”
See more from WISN-TV Channel 12, a media partner of BizTimes Milwaukee, on the flood damage to businesses in Wauwatosa:
And more from Channel 12 with this report on flood damage to homes and businesses in Menomonee Falls:
