WAUKESHA, Wis. — Waukesha’s downtown is experiencing a bit of a boom with new businesses. Ten have opened in the last year, and TMJ4 spoke to half of them.
“We thought okay, it’s our time now,” said Selina Wietzel, owner of Idyllic Bubble Tea House.
Selina Wietzel is living out her dream of owning her own brick-and-mortar business. She started Idyllic Bubble Tea a few years ago, selling at farmers markets.
"We thought, 'Why not open a shop and bring it downtown?'" said Selina.
That change of mindset has made what was once shuttered buildings in the downtown, like the Five Corners location of Copilot Coffee Co., come back to life.
"It has been vacant for years," said Claire Risser, team lead at Copilot Coffee Co. "It is great over here. It actually seems busier."
That sentiment is echoed by almost every business we spoke to.
"You were in a different place, paying less money, and you decided to pay more money to come here?" asked reporter Rebecca Klopf.
“Yes,” said Sarah Risser, owner ofDistINKive Merch. Co. “We needed just a little bit more visibility and being inside that Friday Night Live footprint gives us that visibility.”
Friday Night Live is one of the many events put on by the Downtown Business Association. It brings hundreds of people into the streets of downtown for food, vendors, and music throughout the summer. The city says those events, the rebranding of Waukesha’s downtown, and hundreds of new housing units are bringing in new businesses.
Equity Spa owner Azar Jones says she as she starts she has found some of her customers in the other business owners.
"A lot of them are local business owners I'm helping right now. For example, Burlap and Lace—I have a lot of clients from there," said Azar.
“I appreciate you coming in. I hope you enjoyed your meal,” said Joey Gudgeon to some customers atJoey’s Diner.
The new 50s-style diner opened in the fall. Joey says the community itself seems more interested than ever in being downtown.
"My mission here is to enjoy my customer base and be here in downtown Waukesha," said Joey.
Watch: Waukesha business owners share their stories as downtown booms with ten businesses opening in the last year
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