Sweet Kicks, a fashionable Bay View shoe store that opened in September 2005, is making the move to the East Side this weekend. The grand re-opening for the new, larger location at 1690 N. Franklin Pl., is Saturday, June 30.
"We'd been contemplating a second location but ultimately decided that a bigger, more central location was the better move right now," says co-owner Jason Rosenberg.
Plans for a second store aren't completely scrapped, however, and he says that he and his wife/co-owner, Jen, are keeping their options open for the future.
In the meantime, the new Brady Street area store -- across the street from the fire station and next to Cempazuchi -- will have a slightly altered interior, hot new Camper inventory from New York showrooms and extended hours (Open on Mondays!) to match neighboring retail, such as Aala Reed and Detour. Like the original location, the new Sweet Kicks will specialize in brands such as Ben Sherman, Bronx, Le Coq Sportif, Irregular Choice, Onitsuka Tiger and Gola.
Sweet Kicks was robbed twice in the year and a half since it opened at 2327 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., but Rosenberg says that is not the reason for the move. He still co-owns the Highbury Pub across the street from the former location.
"It was a tough winter, but we still love Bay View," he says. "We just think we're a really good fit for the Brady Street neighborhood. We're also excited about the new shoe stores opening up in Milwaukee, like Red Heel on Water Street. It seems like we all work together to make sure people here are getting cool new stuff."
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
