Four retail chains are planning to join the Pick ‘n Save grocery store that is under construction in the Market Place at Pabst Farms development. Starbucks, Nick-N-Willy’s, Martinizing and Fantastic Sam’s have submitted plans to the City of Oconomowoc to open stores in the Market Place at Pabst Farms.
• Seattle-based Starbucks Corp. has 9,000 retail locations in the world, but none in Oconomowoc. Starbucks plans to open a 1,600-sqaure-foot café in Pabst Farms.
• Lone Tree, Colo.-based Nick-N-Willy’s has stores in 14 states, including locations in Glendale, Kenosha, Mequon and West Allis. Nick-N-Willy’s makes pizzas that customers cook in their own ovens. Nick-N-Willy’s plans to open a 1,000-square-foot pizza restaurant in a retail building across the parking lot from the grocery store in Pabst Farms.
• Beverly, Mass.-based Fantastic Sam’s is a hair care chain with 1,350 salons in the U.S., Canada and Japan, including locations in Pewaukee, Menomonee Falls, Brookfield and Oak Creek. Fantastic Sam’s plans to open a 1,400-square-foot store at Pabst Farms.
• Martinizing is a Loveland, Ohio-based dry cleaning chain that already has three locations in Oconomowoc. Martinizing plans to open a 1,280-square-foot store in retail space attached to the Pick ‘n Save.
Pabst Farms is the 1,500-acre residential and commercial development at Highway 67 and Interstate 94 in Oconomowoc and the Town of Summit.
The Market Place at Pabst Farms is a 118,000-square-foot retail area in Pabst Farms. Once fully developed, the entire Pabst Farms development could have more than 1 million square feet of retail space.
The Market Place will be anchored by a 66,000-square-foot Pick ‘n Save grocery store, which is under construction and is expected to open in mid-August.
"We’re exchanging letters of intent from 10 other retailers as we speak," said Bill Niemann, executive vice president and general counsel for Pabst Farms Development LLC. "I can’t share with you who they are until they sign a lease or file an application with the city."
The Market Place is designed to serve the day-to-day needs for residents living in and near Pabst Farms, Niemann said. Other retail areas in Pabst Farms are designed to be a regional shopping destination.
Pabst Farms has a list of retail categories it is trying to fill in the Market Place, including a sandwich restaurant, a fast casual restaurant, a video gaming and electronics store, and a shipping and packaging store. The first four retailers to join Pick ‘n Save will fill the need for a pizza place, a café, dry cleaning and hair cutting.
"We’re real pleased with the mix we have so far and what we have in the works," Niemann said. "I would say (retailer interest is) what we expected. I think it’s going to pick up a notch after Pick ‘n Save opens."
Waukesha
Brown Deer-based Bank Mutual Corp. plans to build a new 4,034-square-foot branch at the northwest corner of Merrill Hills Road and Fiddlers Creek Drive. Bank Mutual is already building a 4,034-square-foot branch in the Grandview Plaza development on Meadow Lane, which is west of Grandview Boulevard and south of Silvernail Road, in Waukesha. That bank will open in October, said Bank Mutual chief executive officer Michael T. Crowley Jr. Bank Mutual also recently opened a branch at 5133 Douglas Ave. in Racine, and plans to open another branch in Racine near Regency Mall in November, he said. Bank Mutual has over $3.5 billion in assets, 70 branches in Wisconsin and one in Minnesota. The bank has 20 branches in southeastern Wisconsin, but none in Waukesha.
Brothers Dennis and Paul Hronis plan to open a Greek style family restaurant in a former McDonald’s restaurant building at 2820 N. Grandview Blvd. McDonald’s abandoned the building a few years ago and built a new restaurant at a nearby site, said City of Waukesha planner Dave Kopp. The Hronis brothers also own a restaurant in downtown Waukesha called Dave’s Restaurant at 316 W. Broadway. They are planning to build a 1,320-square-foot addition to the 4,164-sqaure-foot former McDonald’s building on Grandview Boulevard.
Greenfield
Scott Acker, a Waukesha resident who owns a Quaker Steak & Lube restaurant franchise in the Madison area plans to open a Quaker Steak & Lube restaurant in the former Chi-Chi’s at 5005 S. 74th St. Quaker Steak & Lube was started in 1974 in an old gas station in Sharon, Pa. Today, the motor sports-themed restaurant chain has 16 locations in six states. The menu includes steak, burgers, sandwiches, chicken wings, soup and salads. The Chi-Chi’s restaurant closed when the Louisville,Ky.-based Mexican restaurant chain went bankrupt. Tampa, Fla.-based Outback Steakhouse Inc. had an option to acquire the Greenfield building, but declined.
First Weber Group Realtors plans to build two small office buildings on a vacant four-acre lot at South 106th Street and West Layton Avenue. The first building would be a two-story, 16,000-square-foot structure. First Weber would occupy the 8,000-square-foot first floor and would lease out the second floor office space. Later, a second office building of similar size would be built on the property.
Mira Terzic plans to open a small deli restaurant, called Balkans, in her home at 7640 W. Forest Home Ave. She will use 390 square feet in the home that a previous owner used as a hair salon, and will also add a 300-square-foot addition. Terzic also owns a deli called D&S Deli, at 5446 Forest Home Ave. in Greenfield.
Waukesha-based The Metropolitan Group plans to redevelop the 9,300-square-foot retail building at 7575 W. Edgerton Ave. The exterior of the building, parking lot and landscaping will be improved. Metropolitan Group is trying to attract a restaurant tenant to occupy 5,600 square feet in the building. The rest of the building will be for retail tenants. Camelot Music currently has a store in the building.
Subway plans to open a 1,300-square-foot sandwich restaurant to replace the snack bar at the Wal-Mart store at 4500 S. 108th St.
Pleasant Prairie
Famous Dave’s is planning to build a 6,830-square-foot restaurant at the southwest corner of Highway 50 and 99th Avenue in Pleasant Prairie. Minneapolis-based Famous Dave’s of America Inc. develops, owns, operates and franchises barbeque restaurants. The company currently owns 38 locations and franchises 79 additional units in 29 states and has signed development agreements for an additional 172 franchised locations. The only locations in southeast Wisconsin are in Greenfield and Waukesha.
Milwaukee
Construction is expected to begin by the end of this month on the River Renaissance development east of Water Street and north of the Milwaukee River in the Historic Third Ward, said Steven Stewart, one of the development partners and the president and chief executive officer of Milwaukee-based Investors Equity LLC. The seven-story building will feature 72 condominiums and 19,000 square feet of retail space. About 38 of the condos have been sold, and about half of the retail space has been leased, Stewart said.
Boutique B’lou, a women’s upscale clothing store, plans to open a store in the lobby level of the downtown Pfister Hotel, 424 E. Wisconsin Ave., in late August. The store will occupy 2,300 square feet of space alongside Roger Stevens, an upscale men’s clothing store that has been located in the hotel for 28 years. Boutique B’lou is owned by Barbara Berg, who also operates two other Boutique B’lou locations in Elm Grove and Delafield. Berg buys merchandise for her store in the New York and Dallas fashion districts.
Fresche Pizzeria & Pub recently opened a pizzeria in the lower level food court at 770 N. Jefferson St., in downtown Milwaukee.
Wauwatosa
Chicago area developer David Israel plans to build a 5,000-square-foot Applebee’s restaurant that will be attached to the west side of the Sentry grocery store building he owns at 6700 W. State St. Israel leases the grocery store building to the Metcalf Brothers, who operate the store, called Metcalf Sentry. Israel also plans to build a 7,000-square-foot addition to the east side of the grocery store building for additional retail tenants. Overland Park, Kan.-based Applebee’s International Inc. has one other location in Wauwatosa.
Robert Lacourciere has secured the first two tenants for a 26,330-square-foot retail building he built at 12132 W. Capitol Dr. Quizno’s will occupy 1,675 square feet, and Noodles & Company will occupy 2,400 square feet.
William Konstan plans to open a café at 6230 W. North Ave. It will occupy 1,200 square feet in an existing commercial building.
West Allis
The Sleep Wellness Institute Inc. will move to a larger location by the end of this month. The institute is moving from its 3,200-square-foot space at 10425 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa, to a 20,000-square-foot building at 2356 S. 102nd St. in West Allis. The institute purchased the building, which was formerly the Ferderbar Photography studio. The institute will occupy about 12,000 square feet in the building and tentatively plans to lease the remaining 8,000 square feet for medical office space users, said Ron Baake, chief executive officer of the Sleep Wellness Institute. "We’re outgrown our space (in Wauwatosa)," Baake said. "We need to expand this business." The institute has only four sleep examination bedrooms in Wauwatosa, but will have eight in the West Allis building, he said. The company has expanded its workforce in recent years and now has about 30 employees.
Andrew Weiland is the Managing Editor of Small Business Times. Send news about commercial real estate to Andrew.weiland@biztimes.com or by calling him at (414) 277-8181 ext. 120. News can also be sent to Andrew Weiland, Small Business Times, 1123 N. Water St., Milwaukee, WI 53202.
July 22, 2005, Small Business Times, Milwaukee, WI
