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"Eco-friendly" Telluride shoots for casual, sustainable drinking vibe
Bay View's first "eco-friendly" bar, Telluride, opens next week, but don't expect beer that will be served in recycled mugs, with compost heaps on the spacious side patio.
Instead, expect a smoke-free, laid-back bar with lots of patio seating and green space outside at 2155 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. Telluride occupies the bar formerly known as the very unusual -- and fairly dicey -- Chaser's Pub, but other than the physical building, you won't see many similarities between old and new.
Gone, for example, is the "late-night gift shop." Instead, owners Brian Normoyle, Ryan Biechler and Luke Grant decorated sparsely, with lots of wood, focusing on sustainable materials. They also created an especially large outdoor seating area on the adjoining vacant lot, complete with ample green space and wildflowers.
Named after the Colorado ski town, Telluride's owners hope to create a similar lodge vibe on the northwest corner of Bay View. That means good Colorado beers like Breckenridge and Flying Dog on tap and in bottles, and plenty of room for the occasional live music.
Expects darts, TVs, a pool table and a beanbag toss outside. Normoyle also hopes to partner with local restaurants, code permitting, to bring food to the patio customers, "if they're willing."
"I'd like to talk to MIAD to get some of the artists to display their works, too," he says.
And don't be surprised if you see a dog or two sitting next to you on the patio.
"Dogs are welcome," says Normoyle, "as long as you clean up the poop."
It's all quite a departure from Normolye, who is also a partner in Water Street's Grant's Pub, but before that, worked in academic publishing.
"I was looking at a few different businesses, and this had the best cash-flow potential," says Normoyle. "Managing a bar is no different than managing in a Fortune 500 company. It's about how you treat people, setting goals and objectives. I think the bar business is more difficult, because you have alcohol."
The eco-friendly stuff, Normoyle says, just sort of happened.
"I try to be environmentally conscious, and I wanted to do something like that in Bay View," says Normoyle. "There are responsibilities that a business owner has. But it's interesting, it's taken on a life of its own."
Telluride won't hit you over the head with its eco-friendliness, but it's certainly top of mind for its owners. For now, that includes CFC bulbs, green space and rain barrels. Tomorrow, that might mean solar panels and more, says Normoyle.
The owners are shooting for a grand opening party of June 3, and before that, expects to be open mainly later in the week and on the weekends.
"We have our license, we just have to get product in here."
All told, Telluride should make for a nightlife upgrade for the neighborhood, and Normoyle says he's gotten nothing but encouragement from other business owners and Ald. Tony Zielinski.
"There are great people here, and as this area transitions, people are excited about what we're doing," says Normoyle.
Telluride will certainly become the first "nouveau" bar this far north in Bay View. Will customers travel the extra few blocks from the bar epicenter of Lulu, Sugar Maple and Highbury Pub?
"That's a good question," says Normolye. "I think we're going to find out, but that's one of the reasons we're doing the patio."
Normoyle says he's already opened a good dialogue with Milwaukee police, and he intends to steer clear of any of the shenanigans that became a trademark of the former tenant.
"They can drink somewhere else. My two partners know a fair number of people in the demographic we're looking for, and we're confident that we'll get the type of crowd we're looking for."
Talkbacks
EllisIsland | June 2, 2008 at 6:59 p.m. (report)
When does Telluride officially open? I heard June 3rd. But they still have the Chasers sign up and no information posted. I would love to hear more about it if anyone finds out anything!
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2fs | May 24, 2008 at 4:47 p.m. (report)
Not safe to walk around even in the daytime? That's some wicked crack you're on, Custom - I mean, I see parents with their kids on KK all the time. Plenty of people *do* live in Bay View and are raising their kids there. What, were you mugged in Bay View that you feel the need to make wildly inaccurate statements about its safety? Like any neighborhood with a mix of commercial & residential, it's not perfect: there's gonna be the occasional break-in - but that's true in Cedarburg, too: it's true anywhere. Two last points: no one's pointed to actual stats showing a dramatic increase in crime, and if there is one, what do you do about it? As I noted: you live and work in a neighborhood, drawing people to it...that's how you decrease crime in a particular area. Don't know what's with the hating
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kathlink | May 23, 2008 at 2:21 p.m. (report)
I know I'm a few days late on this, but as a 25 year Bay View resident, I have a few things to say. While the area Telluride is located in is not the "safest" part of Bay View, it is a wonderful area. I have never and do not now lock my doors (save for extended vacations), and I've never had an issue. If people take pride in their homes and their neighborhood (and they do around here) you watch out for one another. Custom, It doesn't sound like you live in the area, you just have friends that do & you go to bars down there. So you're just as guilty of, as you say, hopping in your car & getting the hell out of there. Sillydada, your comment on how cheap real estate in Bay View is literally made me laugh out loud! Go to a few real estate web sites or grab brochures from houses in the area. It's very hard to find a well taken care of home for under $200K. My assessment alone has shot up about $10,000 in the past couple of years, without any home improvements. Those of you who have no real connection to the area should keep your misguided opinions to yourself.
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custom123 | May 19, 2008 at 7:23 a.m. (report)
Wow maybe I should start my own Blog would you guys read it? Let me make something very clear I go to bars in that area all the time. I consider Sarah a friend of mine and I love her Asian Slaw and chips but to say that area is "safe" and 'gee I can't wait to buy a house there and raise a family' is crazy. It is what it is, a neighborhood that was once really bad but is now getting better but it is still not safe to walk around at night or even during the day. Just because new bars are opening up in an area doesn't make it safe to take your child for a stroll down KK. Again all you Custom haters out there that think I'm wrong, put your money where your mouths are and move on down to KK and Lincoln and buy up some homes and raise your families. Now we all know that isn't going to happen because it is so much easier to say an area is safe when you can get your drink on and then hop in your car and get the hell out of there.
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2fs | May 18, 2008 at 12:37 a.m. (report)
Custom... You unfortunately seem to be guilty of the usual sloppy thinking that imagines that one or two high-profile crimes means that crime must be "getting worse by the day." Sorry: I've lived in Bay View for more than ten years, and it is way safer now. When I moved down here I'd get solicited by prostitutes on KK and Lincoln; that doesn't happen anymore. There were all kinds of dubious characters on the street, and lots of boarded-up storefronts. The best way to fight crime is simply to have lots of people around. Yes, there will still be occasional instances of crime, but that doesn't mean there's a trend. If you were a criminal, where would you rather work: a busy area with lots of people coming and going all the time, or a dark, derelict area so that the few people you see are isolated and alone?
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