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    Is Milwaukee losing its retro?
     
    By Molly Snyder Edler RSS Feed Twitter Feed
    OnMilwaukee.com Staff Writer

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    More articles by Molly Snyder Edler

    What is a blog?  For us it is a short blurb that we write when the mood strikes us.  It can be first person, funny or informative. In short, a blog is whatever we want it to be. Published Oct. 23, 2007 at 12:49 p.m.
    Tags: goldmann's, art's concertina bar, bryant's cocktail lounge, albanese's, at random, angelo's cocktail lounge, koz's mini-bowl, maria's pizzaria, holler house, owl imports, stemper's, quirky, retro

    First Goldmann's closed at the end of September. Then Art's Concertina Bar. Then Bryant's Cocktail Lounge. These places were Milwaukee's pillars of retro quirkiness. They were hip without trying to be hip.

    Surely, there are still places like this left in Brew City. So, let's give 'em a shout out, and try to visit so they don't go by the wayside as well. Whether they're lounges, restaurants, shops or bowling alleys, these slice-of-life establishments have unrivaled signature idiosyncrasies. Please add others using the talkback feature.

    1. Albanese's Tavern, 701 E. Keefe Ave. This mom-and-pop Italian joint has Sinatra on the juke and jugs of homemade wine.

    2. Angelo's Piano Lounge, 1686 N. Van Buren St. More Italian kitsch, but with big martinis, live piano playing and 60-somethings in cocktail dresses serving drinks.

    3. At Random, 2501 S. Delaware Ave. Get a Tiki Love Bowl while you still can.

    4. Falcon Bowl, 801 E. Clarke St., Holler House, 2042 W. Lincoln Ave. and Koz's Mini Bowl, 2078 S. 7th St. Small, manual bowling alleys. Koz's and Holler House have human pinsetters.

    5. Maria's Pizzaria (sic), 5025 W. Forest Home Ave. This is the kind of joint Buca di Beppo tries to emulate. It's kitschy without trying to be kitschy. (Although it can't match the original Greenfield Avenue location! -ed.)

    6. Owl Imports, 7546 W. Greenfield Ave. Features a kooky collection of clocks, beer steins and figurines.

    7. Stemper's, 1125 E. Potter Ave. Stop by to see an incredible selection of church supplies, including communion wafers, which are available white- or wheat-flavored.

    4 comments about this article.
    Post a comment / write a review.

    Recent Talkbacks ...

    Posted by RJ on Oct. 24, 2007 at 11:06 a.m. (report)

    Is Dretzka's Department Store on Packard in Cudahy still open? I haven't been there in a couple of years, but it was quite a step back in time.

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    Posted by deex on Oct. 23, 2007 at 3:16 p.m. (report)

    I believe the Owl Imports you are talking about is 7546 W GREENFIELD Ave in 'Stallis. Unfortunately the last time I drove by there they had signs in the windows..."Going out of business". 75th & Garfield is in Wauwatosa, A.K.A. North 'Stallis.

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    Posted by EatWisconsin on Oct. 23, 2007 at 2:55 p.m. (report)

    Goldman's, Arts, and Bryants. All three were great but all three were in areas that worked against them. Those neighborhoods have changed for the worse and that is almost impossible to overcome. Of the three I will miss Bryants the most. Arts was always a fun time, but Bryants was a great place to take people from out of town and have them marvel at the creations that they came up with. I am just bummed they didn't have a big party to celebrate their closing.

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    Posted by bennyjet on Oct. 23, 2007 at 2:28 p.m. (report)

    Art's didn't exactly close, Art finally agreed to a price and retired back to Mosinee. The new owner promises to keep it basically the same. For much of Milwaukee's blue-collar yet friendly places, ya gotta look further south and west (think Cudahy and West Milwaukee). We still got Serb Hall and Bay View VFW.

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