MILWAUKEE — Thursday was the final day for customers of a Milwaukee furniture company, Cream City Restoration, to pick up their items from a warehouse used to store the pieces following the closure of the downtown storefront.
"We were still missing some things, so weren't exactly sure what was going to still be here and what wasn't," said Bob Downing, who says he hired Cream City Restoration to consign his mid-century modern furniture at the now-closed Milwaukee location.
Downing believes his items were sold, yet he is still waiting for proceeds from the agreement.
"I got all my stuff and he had done all the work for me long before all the bad things happened," said David Conell, who picked up several furniture items, including cabinets, a coffee table, and a sofa.
In March, the I-Team interviewed frustrated clients of Cream City Restoration. For months, many have flooded social media sites with bad reviews, sharing stories of missing money, furniture, or poor communication with the company.
The Better Business Bureau has given the furniture store an "F" rating and Wisconsin's consumer protection agency, DATCP, says it has received several complaints related to the store.
Cream City Restoration hired bankruptcy attorney, Richard Check, to help shut the business down. The I-Team interviewed Check in April.
"The first thing we want to do is an orderly distribution of the assets, and that's what they've hired me to do," Check told the I-Team in April.
Check said Cream City Restoration's furniture (not customer belongings) will go to a specialty auction and proceeds will then go to those customers missing funds as long as they have proof they paid for furniture or service not received.
"I am sad to see them go. It's unfortunate. I understand how people are ticked off that he didn't get their stuff done, but I was one of the luckier ones," said Conell.
To file a claim for missing funds, you can email court@richardacheck.com.
