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November 13, 2024

East Side Holiday Gift Guide

Shop exclusive deals and gift ideas from your favorite local businesses!

November 15, 2023

East Side BID Holiday Gift Guide

Shop unique gift ideas from your favorite East Side businesses!

April 23, 2021

Family-owned pet store to open on Milwaukee’s East Side

A German Shepherd puppy named Franklin is one of many family members managing day-to-day operations at Skilos, a new pet store opening Thursday on Milwaukee’s East Side. The family-owned business is opening its first location at 2328 N. Farwell Ave. in a shopping center near the intersection of East North Avenue and North Farwell Avenue.

April 23, 2021

Dogtopia dog daycare opening this fall on Milwaukee’s East Side

Dogtopia, a national franchise of dog daycares, will be adding a location on Milwaukee’s East Side. The new dog daycare will go in the 6,400-square-foot commercial building located at 2219 N. Farwell Ave., near the southwest corner of Farwell and North avenues, according to permit applications filed with the city.

April 07, 2021

Louie’s Char Dogs & Butter Burgers is open on the East Side and it’s good

Back in February we hipped you to a place called Louie’s Char Dogs & Butter Burgers, opening soon at 2336 N. Farwell Ave.—a.k.a. the little strip mall on the East Side where Blockbuster used to be.

April 07, 2021

East Side bar guide: North Avenue edition

The intersection of North Avenue and Farwell Avenue – and the streets surrounding – is considered the heart of Milwaukee’s East Side. It’s also known for its variety of bars, restaurants and venues. Here’s a guide to the “North Avenue bars,” which for us includes bars, pubs and taverns within a block or two.

December 22, 2020

Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21 and near Downtown neighborhoods launch “MKE It Local” campaign to support locally-owned businesses

Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21 is spearheading a “MKE It Local” campaign to call attention to restaurants, bars and shops in the central business district and more than 10 surrounding neighborhoods.

December 03, 2020

Milwaukee 'Scroll & Stroll' aims to boost small business

As shoppers look to get all the holiday deals -- local businesses encouraged people to shop local this Small Business Saturday, Nov. 28. Smaller businesses need community support now more than ever as local spots close down or adapt due to COVID-19.

December 03, 2020

Small Milwaukee-Area Retailers Offer Online Buys, Social Distancing During COVID-19 Holiday Shopping

It's unclear how many people will go shopping during Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and the rest of the post-Thanksgiving weekend — what with COVID-19 still surging in Wisconsin. But merchants are doing what they can to attract shoppers into stores or online.

October 28, 2020

Although delayed by pandemic, Pomona Cider still planned for East Side

In February, Door County’s Island Orchard Cider announced it would open Pomona Cider Co. on Milwaukee’s East Side at 2163 N. Farwell Ave. The company said it had plans to renovate the 2,100-square-foot building into a tasting room that would also serve a limited array of craft beer and wine and would use a wood-fired oven to make appetizers, including flatbreads.

August 20, 2020

Now Open: Kind Oasis Modernizes Milwaukee’s CBD Shopping Experience with Premium yet Affordable Products

Buying CBD products in Milwaukee no longer has to be intimidating and confusing. “From the beginning, we’ve been dually-focused: to provide premium yet affordable CBD, and create an inviting space for our community to learn about, experience and purchase these goods." says Salem Kashou, the owner of the Eastside’s newest CBD store, Kind Oasis™

June 17, 2020

Milwaukee Bars and Restaurants Welcome Customers Back

Many restaurants and bars in Milwaukee have begun welcoming customers inside their buildings since Friday. Businesses have been preparing and making changes in advance to ensure their customer's health and safety at their return.

June 17, 2020

A parking structure that provides free spaces near an east side night life area is expanding its hours

A parking structure that provides free spaces near a popular night life area on Milwaukee's east side is expanding its hours. The Prospect Medical Commons parking structure, 2311 N. Prospect Ave., has long made 65 spaces available from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. on weekdays, and from 3 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

June 17, 2020

Milwaukee street closings to create outdoor restaurant space under pandemic plan endorsed by city officials

Commercial streets on the east side and other Milwaukee neighborhoods could close temporarily to create more outdoor dining space under a plan that won preliminary city approval Wednesday.

June 17, 2020

Milwaukee might close some streets to provide more outdoor dining as restaurants reopen amid the pandemic

In the automobile age, conventional wisdom tied commercial development to streets dominated by cars — which bring people to office buildings, hotels, restaurants and shops. In recent years, the "Complete Streets" movement has argued streets should be reworked to better accommodate people who walk, bike and use mass transit.

April 21, 2020

Splash Studio wants you to brush up on your paint skills with 'Take & Make Packages'

Splash Studio, on the city's east side, wants to add a little color to your world during this pandemic. It's selling "Take & Make Packages" online.

April 21, 2020

The East Side and Downer Avenue BIDs Make it Easy to Support Your Favorite Local Businesses

Businesses everywhere are forced to operate differently – if at all – during the pandemic to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Business improvement districts (BIDs) across the state and country are doing their best to help keep small businesses in their community alive. The East Side and Downer Avenue BIDs have created web pages on how to support your favorite local businesses.

March 05, 2020

Pomona Cider Co., which will make and sell craft cider, opens on Milwaukee's east side by early summer

Pomona Cider Co. is to open by early summer at 2159-2163 N. Farwell Ave. It will operate as a tavern, with a limited number of wine and local craft beer options. Pomona Cider also will have a wood-fired oven for baking flatbreads and other appetizers.

January 16, 2020

First look: Elves Studio, Splash Studio's holiday pop-up

If you think the elves in the North Pole have been busy, wait until you see what the workers at Splash Studio have been working on: a pop-up winter wonderland worthy of a Rankin/Bass stop-motion Christmas TV special called Elves Studio, opening at the art bar's East Side HQ on Saturday, Nov. 23 and running through the rest of the holiday season.

July 30, 2019

11 locally made items you can bring home from the Summerfest Store

Slurp up these festival stories packed with vitamins, minerals and everything you need to spike your summer fun. The Summer Festivals Guide is brought to you by Punch Bowl Social. Come on in - it's time we all win at adulting. Loving the thought of bringing home some Summerfest swag? How about supporting a local or regional artist or small business at the same time?

June 01, 2019

Sip And Purr Cat Cafe To Celebrate One Year In Business

Sip & Purr, Milwaukee's first cat café, is celebrating its first year in business and is having a party. Katy McHugh, owner and founder of Sip & Purr opened at 2021 E. Ivanhoe Place on Milwaukee's East Side.

April 07, 2019

Dollars For Donuts: Donut Squad

When Donut Squad (2264 N. Prospect Ave., 414-628-0833) announced its impending arrival on Milwaukee’s East Side in 2017, it had big, strange shoes to fill. The donut joint’s location was the former home of Suburpia, a beloved Milwaukee sub chain that had thrived throughout the ’70s and ’80s, and had managed to make it into the 21st century.

April 07, 2019

Store for men to shop, get a beard trim planned on East North Avenue

Dubbed Beard MKE, the new business created by longtime Milwaukeean Geoff Hoen will fill the last open storefront in the Edge on North building at North and Oakland avenues.

April 05, 2019

East Side Whole Foods is getting a 20-tap bar, video games (of course)

Anyway, the Whole Foods on Milwaukee’s East Side, near the intersection of North and Prospect avenues, is getting some new stuff. A new “bar venue” with 20 taps and legally mandated video games is the star attraction.

February 01, 2019

Whole Foods store on east side to add bar with 20 taps in upgrade

The east side store at 2305 N. Prospect Ave., near the intersection of North and Prospect avenues, opened in 2006. The retailer occupies the first floor of the Prospect Medical Commons office facility.

February 01, 2019

Waterford Wine & Spirits owner proposes new East Side store and bar

Owner Benjamin Christiansen wants to open the new wine store and bar, listed as Benjamin’s Fine Wine & Spirits, by March 1 at 2120 N. Farwell Ave. on Milwaukee’s East Side, according to a license application recently filed with the city. Christiansen was not immediately available for comment.

February 01, 2019

Crossroads Collective lands on Chicago Tribune's list of must-see places in 2019

Other must-see venues, according to the Tribune, include Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, the historic Pfister and the East Side’s new Crossroads Collective that features barbecue, crepes, tacos and scoops of homegrown Scratch Ice Cream.

January 04, 2019

Blick Art Supplies on Farwell is closing

Saturday, Jan. 19 is the last day of operation for the Blick Art Supplies East Side shop, 2219 N. Farwell Ave. The Third Ward location across the street from MIAD, 242 E. Menomonee St., will remain open.

January 04, 2019

Milwaukee's Cat Cafe Showcases Latest Trend In Pet Adoption

If you drive around the east side of Milwaukee, you may have noticed a new cafe near Farwell and North Avenues. New restaurants crop up all the time, so what’s the big deal? At this one, you can play with – or even adopt – a cat.

December 10, 2018

How one Milwaukee couple is helping transform the East Side into a destination

November 01, 2018

Splash Studio to Join its Sister Bars on the East Side

Splash Studio, the painting bar in the Historic Third Ward, announced today that it will be moving in early 2019 to join its sister bars on the East Side.

July 18, 2017

EAST SIDE BUSINESS SNAPSHOT: COBALT GLASSWORKS

We visited artist and stained glass designer Jon Schroder at his Cobalt Glassworks studio located at 2400 N. Murray Avenue. Jon has been creating incredible stained glass work for more than 20 years and has been at his studio on the East Side...

February 13, 2017

EAST SIDE BUSINESS SNAPSHOT: HEIDI WITZ DESIGN

I had the pleasure of meeting business owner Heidi Witz of Heidi Witz Design located at Farwell Avenue on Milwaukee’s East Side. Her boutique is full of art, jewelry, furniture, wonderful fabrics and her most recent designs including pieces for the future performances of Milwaukee musicians Klassik and Jay Anderson.

November 30, 2016

NEW BUSINESSES TO THE EAST SIDE

The East Side Business Improvement District works to enhance the E. North Ave neighborhood's appeal to businesses and customers. Businesses like Beans & Barley, The Oriental Theater and Kashou Carpets thrive as traditional mainstays, and now we are pleased to welcome several new businesses to The East Side.

November 30, 2015

East Side BID Releases Retail Market and Survey Study

The East Side is thriving and growing, with the addition of new businesses in the area.

April 05, 2015

EAST SIDE’S CLOCK TOWER BECKONS

The six-story Art Deco Clock Tower Building on Prospect and North Avenues is a recognizable fixture on the East Side, much like the Oriental Theater built one year prior. But what is not visible to the average person is the variety of small businesses inside that call the building home.

April 05, 2015

EAST SIDE BUILDING TRANSFORMED TO NEW STOREFRONT

East Side Framing Gallery creates all sorts of custom projects for its customers by taking momentos and other objects and framing them with a fresh perspective. So it’s not surprising that when it came time to move to a new location, owner Tom Beyer ‘reframed’ a former doctor’s office into something fresh on Farwell Ave.

February 21, 2015

THE WISKULLSKIN STORY

The East Side has a long history of DIYers (Do It Yourselfers), artists and crafters launching businesses in the neighborhood. Here's one of those stories: The Wiskullsin Story.

February 21, 2015

ONE NIGHT STANDS @MURRAY HILL POTTERY

What started as an experiment one weekend is now a regular event at Murray Hill Pottery Works: One Night Stands. You can experiment, flirt and play with clay without forming a relationship or committing to a second date.

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