MILWAUKEE — Washington Heights is a Milwaukee neighborhood bustling with energy from the new businesses opening on Vliet Street and North Avenue to the popular Thursday Night Market.
"What I really love about it is how it's bookended by two budding business districts on Vliet Street with new businesses coming to our neighborhood all the time as well as North Avenue," Sabrina Eder the Washington Heights Neighborhood Association president said.
However, much of the neighborhood's current success is owed to its older neighbors who helped set the foundation for the community to grow.
"So I’ve met a lot of friends volunteering here, and we’ve made a lot of great things happen," Jane Konkel, a longtime resident said.
And now new generations are moving in with a new spirit and energy to continue the work done before them.
"So yea, there's just a lot of pride in this neighborhood and people really lean in to take care of it," Eder said.
It's a storied neighborhood too. Past residents include Milwaukee Mayors Tom Barrett and Henry Maier along with the Harleys and Davidsons from Harley-Davidson.
The My Block series explores neighborhoods through the eyes and experiences of the people who live there. The goal is to learn about communities through the people who know them best - the neighbors. I met with Sabrina Eder to learn about Washington Heights. Where we went and who we talked to was all up to her. Welcome to Sabrina’s neighborhood.
Sabrina Eder
Sabrina moved to the neighborhood in the Spring of 2017. She and her family saw Washington Heights as a place where they could put long-term roots down.
"When we moved in someone brought a 6-pack and welcomed us to the neighborhood. So you just instantly feel like part of a big community here in Washington Heights," she said.
Sabrina felt that sense of community and immediately wanted to contribute to it. In just about five years, she became the neighborhood association president.
"I saw what the previous generations had built in this neighborhood, and I wanted to make sure to carry that on for the future."
She helps write a newsletter that gets distributed throughout the neighborhood twice a year which provides updates on what is happening throughout the community. Sabrina also helped create the Washington Heights Night Market which she took me to at the end of our neighborhood tour.
Joe Gilsdorf, Valentine Coffee Co
Joe Gilsdorf co-founded Valentine Coffee Co in 2009. The store we went to at 5918 W. Vliet St. was the first Valentine Coffee public walk-in location.
"Washington Heights neighborhood couldn’t be better. It's not just Valentine's home. It's my home. I live a few blocks away," Gilsdorf said.
Valentine Coffee has three locations two of which are in Milwaukee and another in West Allis. It does have plans to expand into other communities, but Gilsdorf said they are fully committed to the Washington Heights location and don't plan to leave anytime soon.
"The support we’ve gotten over the years, and the demand we’ve seen over the years exceeded every expectation we had. So its been a great 10 years," he said.
That support comes from people like Sabrina Eder who goes to Valentine a few times a week and gets the same thing - a latte with almond milk and honey.
"I’m probably here every other day sometimes more than that," Eder said.
Jane Konkel
Once we got our coffee fix, we got into Eder's car and headed towards her friend's home, Jane Konkel who lives in a Sears Kit House.
"They ordered the pieces for this house, and it was dropped off here, and people assemble it themselves, and it's a six-room colonial," Konkel said.
Konkel moved in about 25 years ago. She was immediately intrigued by the concept of living in a kit house.
Sears Kit Houses are pre-fabricated homes that can be shipped in pieces. Construction cost and time are significantly reduced as well as the number of people who need to assemble the home. Roughly 70,000 were sold between 1908 and 1940, according to the Sears Archive website.
Since moving into her home, Konkel became intimately involved in Washington Heights. In 2013, she won the volunteer of the year award. Now, she co-leads a non-profit called Friends of Washington Park that organizes concerts in Washington Park.
"So these people aren’t just fellow volunteers. I’ve made friendships with people who live here," she said.
Ed Szopinski and Carol Justin
One of those people that Konkel connected with through volunteering is Ed Szopinski. He was a founding member of the neighborhood association.
He and his wife Carol Justin have lived in the neighborhood since 1989. The couple looked for two years before they left their Sherman Park home for Washington Heights.
"At some point, Carol and I decided we're west side people, and so we looked west side," Szopinski said. "We're kind of down-to-earth people on the west side."
The two raised three kids in the neighborhood. If they could do it all again, they wouldn't change a thing.
"I think that it's a neighborhood that has problems like any other neighborhood. But I think there's a spirit here about if something is a problem let's roll up our sleeves and work on it," Justin said.
Both Szopinski and Justin agreed that over the 30-year period of their living in Washington Heights, there has been a recent influx of young couples and families moving to the area.
"One of the things that has been good for me to see is all of the young people coming into the association and all the new ideas. Tonight we have the night market. We never would have thought of doing something like that," Szopinski said.
Washington Heights Night Market
The night market was created in 2021 as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Neighbors had a yearning to connect with one another and local businesses were hurting. This open-air once-a-month market during the summer helped solve both of those issues.
"We decided to do something that would bring people together in a safe way, and we thought how could we make an impact on our community while also supporting local businesses. They really mean a lot to us in this neighborhood. They are a fabric of this neighborhood," Eder said.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of people come to the market to listen to music, shop from local vendors, and try new food. Visitors come from places as far away as Kenosha, Cudahy, and Waukesha Eder said.
One of the vendors that people come to the night market for is Venture Brew Co. It's a staple at the event and is headquartered on North Avenue. It opened in 2018.
"The night market has been awesome. It's a great showcase of how our community comes together. And when something is done and put on, the community shows up to support it which has been amazing," Simon McConico the co-founder of Venture Brew Co said.
In a saturated Milwaukee brewery market, Venture tries to stand out by doubling as a craft coffee roaster and cafe. However, its main focus is still beer.
"Frankly I was tired of going to Bay View for good beer - which it was great but it's nice to be able to have something closer to home," McConico said.
You can often find McConico with his daughter on his shoulders pouring beer at the night market.
One Last Question
As is tradition, the last word is always given to the tour guide of the My Block story.
Before that happens, though, here is how you can be part of the series. Reach out to James Groh to nominate your neighborhood or a neighbor to be featured in the next story. You can fill out this submission form or contact him at james.groh@tmj4.com or call/text at (414) 254-8145. The series has explored how rural areas foster neighborhoods, how Hmong culture in Wisconsin is changing, how Latino immigrants adapt to life in Milwaukee, how one woman is keeping a watchful eye on her neighborhood, and many more themes.
Now back to the person who helped orchestrate all these interviews, Sabrina Eder.
"Is there anything else you'd like to add about your neighborhood?" TMJ4's James Groh asked her.
"I just feel so thankful that so many years ago we decided to pick Washington Heights as our home and put roots here. I'm filled with gratitude for all the neighbors that live here, my board members who help put on great events like the night market, small business owners, the people who make Washington Heights great, who lean in and they really care. And we live Milwaukee through and through. Washington Heights is such a gem in this community, and I'm just so thankful to be part of it."
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