{image1}With the ghosts of Tobacco Road and Changin' Times still lurking in the corners, Jennifer Johnson opened the Wailing Banshee Boo-tique in the high-profile corner space at 932 E. Brady St.
"Since Changin' Times and Tie Me Down left Brady Street, there haven't been any stores of this nature in the city," says Johnson, 27, who lives in Riverwest. "People looking for this kind of clothing had to go to Cat's Meow in Madison, Medusa's Circle in Chicago or search the Internet."
The Wailing Banshee is an alternative/gothic, retail and second-hand clothing store for men, women and yes, children. Johnson says she specializes in "hard to find things at reasonable prices" including a line of punk/goth kids' clothing called "Lucky Lil' Devil."
"I carry petite through plus sizes," she says. "The 'boo-tique' features corsets, bondage pants, vinyl, skirts, tops, dresses, movie t-shirts, Wacky Jac panties, and artwork from local artists."
The Banshee currently stocks brands like Lip Service, Eternal Love, Phaze and other local clothing makers, and will soon feature London Underground shoes, custom leather pieces, Alchemy Gothic Jewelry, Leg Avenue intimate apparel and belly dancing costumes and accessories. (Johnson is a member of the Barika belly dance troupe.)
"I had a vision of opening a store that was off the mainstream path and supported local artists, clothing and jewelry makers. Now I get the chance to make that happen," says Johnson, who worked as a pre-school and kindergarten Montessori teacher for a few years before deciding to try owning a business instead.
"It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up'" she says. "I started teaching because I love children, but I quickly found out I had a romanticized view of teaching. In many instances I had to be a social worker as well as a teacher. It was a lot of stress and pressure and I decided it was not for me. Now I am having a ball with the store. I really love it and I finally feel like I've chosen the right career path for myself."
Forget a Presidents' Day sale, rather, Johnson recently offered 13 percent off on Friday the 13th and plans to have sales for full moons, people with tattoos and anyone with a WMSE club card. She will also have a "Convergence 10" sale during the second weekend in May, celebrating the Convergence gothic festival held once a year at various cities around the country that, this year, will be held in Chicago.
The Banshee will also hostess Indian henna tattoo parties every Saturday from noon until 3 p.m. and a belly dancing sidewalk sale this summer.
So is the goth scene still dead and well in Milwaukee?
"Yes, there still is a scene in Milwaukee," says Johnson, who met her husband on gothicpersonals.com. "It is a very friendly scene. There is only one gothic club in Milwaukee, Club ? (Anything) It would be nice to have another place to go for variety. But there are a fair amount of concerts to check out, and some people in the scene go to the Mad Planet on Friday nights for '80s music."
As for the shop's name, Johnson felt goths would appreciate it because many are into horror movies and books, as well as the band Siouxsie and the Banshees.
"The idea also came from my trip to England. I got a kick out of the names for their pubs, like The Dirty Duck or The Filthy Whore," she says. "The 'boo-tique' part is from my love of puns, good or bad. This is a good and appropriate pun joke: What kind of dogs do goths have? Mellencollies! Oh, it's so bad, yet I love it."
The Wailing Banshee Boo-tique is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m to 6 p.m. Soon, check out www.wailingbansheeboo-tique.com.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
