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Small Business 2012

Friday, November 23, 2012

Small Business Owners Invest in Communities

The owners of small businesses throughout the Metro Milwaukee area say it works for them to be part of the fabric of their communities.

Small businesses work for a strong community. The days of Henry Ford coming into a community to build a plant and hire 25,000 workers are gone. But the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well on a much smaller scale. From neighborhood diners and booksellers with a handful of employees to niche operations with dozens of employees, small business owners have found ways to be profitable while strengthening the community in which they operate. Paul Schueller, CEO and part owner of Franklin Energy Services in Port Washington, Wis. was an engineer for Wisconsin Natural Gas Company.  Schueller saw an opportunity and struck out on his own.  “It’s more cost effective for energy companies to find ways to improve energy efficiencies than to build …

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Two RiverPoint Shops Revamp Store Signs

You won't find Vita Fitness or The Athlete's Foot at RiverPoint Shopping Center anymore. The two shops have new ownership and you'll soon see signs for Integra and Andare Sports popping up in Fox Point.

RiverPoint Village Shopping Center is getting two new stores - kind of. Vita Fitness and Physical Therapy and The Athlete's Foot have changed ownership and shoppers will soon see new signs above each store front. Eric Pilling is purchasing The Athlete's Foot from Jim Bronson, the same man who kept the store alive even after franchise filed for bankruptcy in 2004. But customers need not worry, Pilling said, because Jim really isn't going anywhere. "He's been fitting people and doing it long enough that adults come in with their kids and he fitted them when they were small children so, he's a fixture in the shoe world in this area. So, he'll still be around, he just gets more flexibility," Pilling said. The store will drop the franchise name…

In this Article:

Riverpoint Village Shopping Center, Vita Fitness & Physical Therapy, and The Athlete's Foot

25 Small Business Facebook Pages North Shore Residents Should 'Like'

Check out some of the North Shore's most popular pages and add your own suggestions in the comments!

At Patch we're always striving to make your life ridiculously easy and that's why we've put together this list of 25 local business Facebook pages. Show your love for local, small businesses and get to "Liking!" 1. Green House Furnishings, Fox Point 2. Los Paisa, Bayside 3. Winkie's Toys & Variety, Whitefish Bay 4. The Village Pub, Shorewood 5. Art Trooper, Bayside 6. Indulge Studios, Whitefish Bay 7. Miss Cupcake, Shorewood 8. Brio Salon, Fox Point 9. Jack Pandl's, Whitefish Bay 10. Camp Bar, Shorewood 11. Community Bark Dog Wash & Coffee Bar, Bayside 12. Three Wishes, Whitefish Bay 13. The Waxwing, Shorewood 14. The Lift Pilates, Bayside 15. Gallery 505, Whitefish Bay 16. The City Market, Shorewood 17. Mark Pasch Ltd., Fox Point 18. …

Mary LaCharite

10:26 am on Thursday, November 15, 2012

How about Bayside Gardens in Bayside? and Benji's in Fox Pont?   more ›

Monday, November 12, 2012

Strong Small Businesses Make Communities Better

Local business improvement district leaders say a thriving small business climate makes the whole community stronger, but it takes support from residents, the government and business owners to make things work.

Thriving businesses are one-third of a triumvirate of a vibrant community. “You need good schools, a quality housing stock and a solid commercial area,” said Tim Ryan, president of Shorewood’s Business Improvement District.  Ryan is invested in all three. He and his family live in Shorewood, his daughter goes to school in Shorewood and he is the president and owner of Harleys: The Store for Men on Oakland Avenue in Shorewood. Small businesses line the commercial corridor that runs east and west along Capital Drive and north and south along Oakland Avenue, Ryan said. “Unlike many small communities, our business district is spread out on two thoroughfares.” Small businesses, like Harleys, are invested in a community the way national chains …

Comment_arrow

David Tatarowicz

5:09 pm on Tuesday, November 13, 2012

@Ab Fab You make some very good points and more importantly ask some very good questions. I noted that Ryan said " thriving small businesses reduce the tax burden for homeowners and buoys home values." which is just not true. Property tax rates are the same for commercial property as it is for residential property. In Wisconsin, unlike some other states, the local communities get no share of the …   more ›

Friday, November 9, 2012

Free Alternative Medicine Demos Offered Sunday at Greensquare Center

With more than 30 practitioners offering a wide array of natural treatments and therapies, Greensquare Center for the Healing Arts is opening its doors to the community Sunday for a free workshop with demonstrations.

I couldn't believe it. As a guy who hates needles, I had somehow found myself in a dim room, lying on my back preparing to have several small pins stuck into my skin. In the name of curiosity and local journalism, I volunteered to undergo a brief acupuncture session with Alana Pollack Hammer at Greensquare Center for the Healing Arts in nearby Glendale. Hammer normally treats patients experiencing musculoskeletal pains, stress and anxiety or digestive disorders, but I only had a simple sore throat. After quickly calculating which meridian points in my arms and legs led to my throat, Hammer stuck three needles in me, and to my surprise, it didn't hurt. Afterward, my heartbeat slowed and I experienced a warm, calm feeling. Over the next …

In this Article:

Treat Your Post Election Fatigue with a FREE Taste of Integrative Medicine! (in Whitefish Bay Patch)

Audubon Court Open House Friday and Saturday

Support local businesses and get a jump start on holiday shopping.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Northpoint Service Center Began With Toasters

A small business Q&A with Tom Willetts, Northpoint Service Center owner and Fox Point native.

For Tom Willetts, it all began with a toaster.  What started as an obsession with taking things apart when he was just 6, blossomed into a love so strong for helping others and fixing things that it took him away from what he thought was his path in life and brought him to a whole new area.  Willetts owns Northpoint Service Center in Fox Point, once known as a Mobil Station and Fox Point Service before that. In 1983, Willetts was just about to start graduate school when he found out that the then-Mobil Station was available. Willis put down the money to get the property and all the equipment in one shot in a bankruptcy auction. Willetts had a degree in psychology and a minor in communications and said wanted to be a school counselor or a …

In this Article:

Northpoint Service Center

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