The Buzz: Renovation work spurs questions about who’s moving into Appleton buildings – Post-Crescent

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Reader question: Who’s going into the old Vagabond Imports downtown?

Answer: The building is being renovated, but it doesn’t have a tenant so far. 

Vagabond Imports was at 113 E. College Ave. The longtime import shop closed late last year when owner Peter Isakson decided to retire. 

The building was purchased for $200,000 in March by Mark Behnke, who owns a number of downtown retail and restaurant properties through Behnke Properies. 

Behnke is currently fixing the building’s facade.

“We had some problems with some of the brick pushing out. It will have a new face when we’re done,” he said. “I’m going to be leasing it out. I have no for-sure tenant right now.” 

Reader question: What’s going into the building next to U.S. Cellular?

Answer: It will be Panera Bread. The newly constructed building faces Calumet Street in Buchanan/Darboy. It’s east of the Chipotle/U.S. Cellular building and west of the former Old National Bank. 

An opening date has not yet been announced. 

The Buchanan restaurant will be Panera Bread’s second in the Fox Cities. The first is at 3320 W. College Ave. in Grand Chute.

Reader question: Is the bank at the corner of Eisenhower and Calumet closed?

Answer: Yes. Old National Bank closed that branch about two weeks ago. It was at W3160 County KK, at the corner of Eisenhower Drive in Buchanan/Darboy. 

In February, the bank notified customers that this branch was closing in a system-wide consolidation plan. The Indiana-based bank also closed nine other branches in Wisconsin outside of the Fox Cities. 

The consolidation was prompted by customers using online banking more frequently and visiting physical branches less often, said Andrea Finck, vice president of community relations for the bank’s Wisconsin sites.

Locally, Old National Bank continues to operate locations at 1220 W. Northland Ave. in Appleton and 971 S. Green Bay Road in Neenah. 

Reader question: What is going on with the old Thompson Center building in Appleton?

Answer: The former Thompson Center building at 820 W. College Ave. in Appleton was sold for $725,000 last August to St. Peter, a Lutheran church based in the town of Freedom near Appleton’s north side. 

The building is being renovated to be used by The Core, a related ministry in downtown Appleton. The Core is currently housed at 222 W. Franklin St. Cramped space and parking were big considerations in the decision to move.

“We’ve grown. The Thompson Center gives us about three times the space,” Pastor Tim Glende told The Post-Crescent last August when the sale was first announced. He’s lead pastor for 922 Ministries, the umbrella for both St. Peter and The Core. 

“We love having our ministry downtown. The location and visibility on College Avenue is a huge, huge reason why this opportunity stood out to us,” he said. “The new space will allow us a worship space that’s much larger, classroom space, offices and space for a community room that’s a benefit and blessing to the area around us.”

The Thompson Center, a nonprofit organization serving seniors, left that building in March 2016 when Lutheran Social Services said operational costs were too high. It relocated to 2331 E. Lourdes Dr. in Appleton, on the grounds of St. Bernadette Parish, and is now primarily privately funded and called Thompson Center on Lourdes.

Contact reporter Maureen Wallenfang at 920-993-7116 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @wallenfang.

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