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Maureen Wallenfang
Appleton Post-Crescent
Published 9:36 AM EDT May 11, 2020
A new Appleton Aldi store in the works for months gained traction this week with demolition work on its future site.
The building being demolished on Richmond Street, just south of the roundabout at Northland Avenue in Appleton, had housed several businesses including the Merlin Muffler shop, which closed years ago, and Pho House, which closed in April.
Aldi will take that space plus additional land to the south.
“When the building is fully down, we’ll turn it over to Aldi. It will be by June 1,” said developer Garritt Bader of GB Real Estate Investments, who has gotten permits, zoning and city approvals for the site to date.
“They will begin building at that time. Their goal is to have the store open in late October or early November,” he said.
Aldi will apply for building permits going forward.
The project has been in the works since last year. Neighbors in the surrounding north-side neighborhood were invited to a meeting last September to see the plans and give input.
The development will not affect surrounding businesses like Fazoli’s, Starbucks, Play it Again Sports, Arby’s and Weekend Dental Assistant School.
The new Aldi store’s design and layout will be nearly identical to the Aldi built in 2018 on Kensington Drive on Appleton’s east side, said Tom Howald, director of real estate for Aldi’s Oak Creek Division.
Information on the relocation of one business on the site, Pho House, is incomplete at this time.
Pho House, previously known as Pooh San, was housed in the building being demolished.
On its Facebook page, a post said the restaurant planned to relocate, but its owner could not be reached for comment on relocation plans. Equipment from the restaurant was advertised for sale recently on internet commerce sites.
“I was surprised to see the strip mall that housed Pho House was being gutted,” said restaurant customer Gary McGoey. “When it first became a place to go for pho, the cooks were little old Asian women. Along with the food, you could taste the authenticity in the air.”
Contact reporter Maureen Wallenfang at 920-993-7116 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @wallenfang.
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