Last week, I heard of an iconic Milwaukee business that might close. I'm not trying to sound cryptic, nor am I withholding information just for some silly power trip. I was told about this off the record by the owner and I am legally and ethically obliged to keep this quiet.

But the fact is, a business many of us love is in trouble because not enough of us, including myself, are spending money there.

This reminds me of a conversation we have in the editorial offices at OnMilwaukee.com. So often, a business closes and we are all bummed and / or surprised and yet, we can't remember the last time we shopped there.

I know the suggestion to "buy local" is unfortunately such an overused term many people barely comprehend it anymore. It's muted into Charlie Brown's teacher warble, along with other important-but-tired expressions like "eco-friendly."

But I feel like we have the chance, right here and now, to assess the local businesses that are important to us and really make a commitment to spend our money there instead of other places. At the very least, if these places still have to close, we will know we truly did our part to keep them afloat.

I'm making a list right now of the establishments I cannot bare to lose in Milwaukee. It doesn't matter if they are old school and iconic or just opened last month – they are the places that I believe give Milwaukee sass and character. Sure, I'll still find myself wandering the aisles of the big boxes, but I'm not gonna lose sight of these special, signature places.

I wanna keep Milwaukee weird.