MILWAUKEE — In 1982, the movie ET was released, Hank Aaron was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the Grand Avenue Mall opened in Downtown Milwaukee.
The mall is where Caresa Finnie worked on and off for years.
"I worked at Gimbels, there was a store called Hit or Miss, Boston Store when it was here," Finnie recalled. "When it used to be a thriving mall."
In the early 2000s, stores began leaving the mall, and empty storefronts led to the mall's closure.
"It went from thriving to nothing," Finnie said.
On Thursday, Finnie found herself back where the mall used to be. She was there applying for a job ahead of Kohl's downtown location.
"Just something part-time... retail, I've been in it 30 plus years," Finnie shared.
The new department store is opening in the same building that housed the Boston Store when Finnie worked there. She said she's excited to see the area come back to life.
Mark Kass, Editor-in-Chief of the Milwaukee Business Journal for the last 20 years, has watched the ebbs and flow of the retail space on Wisconsin Avenue.
"Think back to 2014, 2015. As you went west of the river, it was really quiet here," Kass said. "Probably the number one request I've heard from our readers is we need more retail in the heart of downtown."
Kass shared that he's enjoyed watching the area's comeback and transformation into a mixed-use space.
"To me, these mixed-use projects are kind of the future. They're kind of now and future because you're creating your own audience," he said.
In the last few years, we've seen the development of the Third Street Market Hall and apartments. Now the grand opening of Kohl's downtown is the next piece of the puzzle. Kass said there's likely more to come.
"Could we see a large convention hotel there? Could we see offices there? Could we see retail? Could we see this whole block be filled in?" Kass asked.
All of this development is of course coming ahead of the RNC in Milwaukee in 2024. The convention center, where the RNC will be hosted, is also undergoing redevelopment.
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