Maureen Wallenfang
Appleton Post-Crescent
Published 11:58 AM EST Dec 30, 2019
Businesses had an up-and-down year in 2019.
Last week’s column gave the upside:
More: The Buzz’s Year in Review Part 1: 2019 openings
This week, it’s the downside, the departures and closures. Scroll down to the bottom of this story for closures listed by community. (For back stories on many of the closures, use the business name in the search field at postcrescent.com.)
Bankruptcies emptied a lot of retail space in the Fox Cities. Just Sears and Shopko alone totaled more than a half million square feet of vacated space. Sears closed in March and Shopko department stores were gone by the end of June.
Fire and demolition took out two restaurants at the intersection of Appleton and Washington streets in downtown Appleton. Author’s Kitchen + Bar was gutted by fire in March and was later torn down. It will return in a new College Avenue location this spring. Appleton Street Sports Bar & Grill’s building was torn down, and the business reopened this month on Meade Street as the Meade Street Bistro.
Two longtime banquet halls, The Darboy Club and Monarch Gardens, called it quits at the end of June. The Darboy Club’s banquet operation had been a staple in the community for 57 years, but it fell on hard times as customers moved on to newer facilities. Its contents were auctioned off in September and its property is for sale. Monarch Gardens’ owners retired, and the property was sold to a car dealership for storage. Monarch Gardens, which was previously known as Country Aire, had operated for 55 years.
In their own words
Businesses closed in 2019 for many reasons, from retirement and the end of a lease to hard times and bankruptcy. Here, some business owners say why they shut their doors and employees say how the closures felt.
BumblePuppy Sales
“People really have no idea how much it costs to run a brick-and-mortar store. When I go through that with the people who are upset about the closure, their eyes bug out of their heads,” said Janel Bedor Griffiths, owner of the closed BumblePuppy Sales’ retail store in Grand Chute. The business still operates online.
Shopko
“I feel there’s nothing I can do to be able to keep the store open. It’s like a death. You have to mourn it when you lose a job you absolutely love,” said Pam Bartell a 40-year Shopko employee on the Appleton Shopko’s last day, June 23.
Atlas Waterfront Cafe
“We were here nearly 15 years. That’s eons for a ‘mom and pop.’ We feel very blessed. We feel sadness and joy, gratefulness and disappointment that we can’t continue to serve this community,” said Sue Bogenschutz, co-owner of the Atlas Waterfront Café.
Mi Casa
“Now I am alone. It’s hard for me,” said Maria Hernandez Rodriguez, on why she closed Mi Casa in Appleton. Her husband Michael Whiting had operated the restaurant with her. He died March 9.
The Darboy Club
The Darboy Club, a local landmark and banquet hall since 1962, shut in June. “We don’t have enough business to stay open,” said co-owner Mark Tatro. “Our weddings are next to non-existent. We can’t survive on two (public) days a week, on Friday fish and Sunday brunch. We’ve got a big place. We need to have two or three weddings on a Saturday to stay alive and it wasn’t happening.”
Gabriel Furniture
Gabriel Furniture’s owners Joe and Ruby Wells decided to retire. They sold their building and it will become Gabriel Lofts apartments in 2020. The closing sale was emotional for both of them and longtime customers, said Ruby Wells. “They come in to hug you and they start crying and then we start crying.”
VFW
The Harvey Pierre VFW Post 2778 closed its dining room and bar after the last Friday fish fry on Sept. 13. The post on Richmond Street continues to offer veterans services and programs. The dining room closure announcement was hard on the staff, including chef Charles De Bruin and general manager Casey Mannebach. “Casey, myself, as well as the kitchen and bar staff, are all heartbroken over this,” De Bruin said. “It feels like a small part of Appleton is fading away.”
A sampling of 2019’s closures by community
APPLETON
Gibson Music Hall shut Dec. 4 and is aiming to reopen as Gibson Community Music Hall in January under new owners. Gabriel Furniture closed after 91 years downtown. More closures: Shopko, Java Warung, Green Gecko Grocer & Deli, Applebee’s east side, Yesterday’s, Fresh Expressions, Cena, (its replacement, Nice Time opened in April and closed in October), Fox Valley Nursery, Vagabond Imports, Coventry Glassworks (its stained glass business was sold to Studio K Stained Glass), Il Angolo, Paninoteca, Mi Casa (replaced by El Sabor Mexican Grill), Atlas Waterfront Café, Pavana Salon, Tiny Tot Territory children’s hair salon, The Crafty Wood Maker, Shopko Express, Chase Bank’s Memorial Drive branch
DARBOY/BUCHANAN/HARRISON
The Darboy Club, Payless ShoeSource, Shopko Express
GRAND CHUTE
Learning Shop announced its closure, though its end date could be in late 2019 or early 2020 depending on the pace of its clearance sale. More closures: Wildflower Bar & Kitchen, Scatter Joy, Monarch Gardens, Atlanta Bread, DressBarn, Kwik Trip on W. Wisconsin by 41 (replaced by a new branch a block east), BumblePuppy Sales’ retail store (the business remains online), Complete Nutrition, ‘zza Odyssey Pizza, Valley Stripping & Furniture Restoration, A Dee Vine Consign and Schwag Bike Shop
In the Fox River Mall, closures included Sears, Payless ShoeSource, Crazy 8, Ann Taylor, Watch Co., Motherhood Maternity, ScrubsLove, Foot Locker, Things Remembered, Lands’ End (inside Sears) and Fred Meyer Jewelers.
GREENVILLE
Jaripeo Mexican Grill (replaced by Fiesta Rodeo Mexican Cuisine), Builders FirstSource
KIMBERLY
Shopko, Hong Kong Buffet
MENASHA
Shopko, Wild Apple Gallery and Gifts, Tanglz Salon, Your Daily Grind (replaced by Koi Coffee & Tea), The Wreath Factory, Perky’s Drive-Thru Espresso, NewStyle Salon on Appleton Road
NEENAH
Shopko, Pagoni’s Pizza, The Wobbly Painter, Paperback Book Exchange, Burger King, Sterling Gardens Florist & Boutique, Perkins
NEW LONDON
Jernegan’s Health Mart
SEYMOUR
Shopko Hometown
Contact reporter Maureen Wallenfang at 920-993-7116 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @wallenfang.
Next week, get a sneak peek at 2020’s ins and outs in The Buzz.
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