The past month has been a busy one in Wauwatosa's business sector, with a mix of transitions, ownership changes and project updates.
One of the biggest updates was related to the SCHEELS store planned in the Mayfair Mall in place of the former Boston Store. The City of Wauwatosa announced on Dec. 22 that its Community Development Authority had completed transfer of the parcel to Brookfield Properties, which is overseeing the redevelopment of the new SCHEELS, a national sporting goods retail chain.
Renovation and expansion the site will span 210,000 square feet, with plans for the store to open by 2027. City officials will continue to have opportunities to review the project's progress this year, as developers submit a full site plan and apply for building permits.
“This milestone shows the strength of a true public–private partnership,” Wauwatosa Development Director Mark Hammond said in the city's news release. “When the city, Brookfield Propertiesand SCHEELS work toward a shared vision, we can unlock the kind of investment that moves an entire district forward. SCHEELS will be a major anchor for Mayfair’s next chapter.”
As the city anticipates a future SCHEELS opening, Tosa Village marked the recent closing of a central restaurant: Jose's Blue Sombrero.
"We wish to extend our sincerest gratitude to our loyal customers who have supported us throughout our time here. It has been our pleasure to serve you," the restaurant said in a message to customers last month before its permanent clsure, as reported by OnMilwauke.
The Mexican restaurant at 7615 W. State St. first opened in July 2018, replacing the former Chancery that had operated in that location. It wasn't immediately clear if any new business is lined up for the storefront.
That block will be one to watch this year. Another establishment, the craft cocktail and beer bar North 48 has plans to move into the former Little Read Book store at 7603 W. State St.
Separately, Tosa Village is preparing to welcome Casa de Corazón, a Spanish-immersion child care business that was approved last year to move into the former Firefly restaurant location at 7754 Harwood Ave.
In East Tosa, Little Village Play Cafe has reopened after repairing extensive water damage from a coffee maker mishap late last September. Farther west on North Avenue, a conversion is underway to turn the former O'Gorman's West Towne Auto into a Flash Laundromat. And the former Wing Zone is expected to reopen soon as a Little Caesers.
Meanwhile, the new Idyll Coffee Roasters is growing a loyal and thirsty clientele at 6330 W. North Ave. It has been open since October and was featured in this recent Milwaukee Journal Sentinel profile.
In other big coffee news, the Kansas City-based company FairWave, which already owned Anodyne, has acquired the Milwaukee-area chain Fiddleheads, which has a prominent location in Wauwatosa at 8807 W. North Ave. FairWave plans to keep Anodyne and Fiddleheads as two distinct brands, with some crossover opportunities.
“We’re excited to work with the Fiddleheads roasting team to bring roasting to Anodyne and build a Milwaukee roasting hub there,” FairWave co-president Isaac Hodges told WUWM-FM. “On the other side of that … we can start to see Fiddleheads' bakery grow in the marketplace and serve their incredible pastry program across our Anodyne cafés.”
