Milwaukee Businesses Closing

Calling Mayor Tom Barrett... Oh, Mr. Mayor... Are you out there?

Milwaukee is NOT open for business.

Appliance World, Chocolate House, Soref's Carpet City, the Rosebud and the Times theaters are all closing their doors, permanently.

They are dropping like flies.

The Rosebud and Times theaters are closing the first week of March, according to owner David Glazer.

Glazer has owned the Times, 5906 W. Vliet St., since January 2007. He has owned the Rosebud, 6823 W. North Ave., since October 2007.

Glazer said in a news release that, like investors who purchased property five to six years ago, he bought the properties when the market was high.

"Property values have fallen considerably in the last few years," Glazer said." The lending environment today makes it very difficult to renew or refinance commercial loans."

Glazer said he was facing a balloon payment from the lender, Anchor Bank. And despite negotiations to renew or refinance his loan, Glazer said he was unable to do so.

The foreclosure, he said, is connected to a cross-collateralization with some of his other properties.

"I feel badly about this and we'll miss the camaraderie and the interaction with our customers," he said in an interview. "Our customers were loyal to us, and our staff was great."

The Times Cinema opened in June 1935 in a former automobile repair building. The Rosebud Cinema was originally opened as the Tosa Theater in October 1931.

Soref's Carpet City has been around for more than 40 years.

Milwaukee carpet seller Soref's Carpet City has closed.

The doors at the store, 431 S. 2nd St., were locked Tuesday. A sign in the door window says the store is closed, but the remaining inventory is on sale at a "deep discount" by appointment only.

...Soref's, known for its jingle, "See us today, have it tomorrow," was in business for more than four decades, according to the company's website.

Soref's is the second longtime Milwaukee retailer to abruptly close its doors in less than a month. At the end of January, Appliance World closed permanently after running into financial difficulty.

And then there's Chocolate House.

The Chocolate House, a candy-making plant that has operated in Greenfield since 1963, has been shut down by its Chicago-area owners.

Executives with Skokie, Ill.-based Georgia Nut Co., which bought The Chocolate House in 2005, did not return calls Friday. But John Nehm, a Greenfield fire marshal, said he was told the operation was closing when he conducted a routine fire inspection last month. At the time, Nehm said, candy-making equipment had been dismantled and stored for transfer to a Georgia Nut plant in Skokie.

Nehm said he was told that 18 people worked full-time at the Greenfield plant, which also hired larger numbers of seasonal employees. An outlet store at the plant, 4121 S. 35th St., will remain open until April, Nehm said.

I can't imagine Easter without Chocolate House Whipped Creme Eggs.

The outlet store would sell the seconds in bags. Just opening one of those white bags with the candy was a treat. It's what heaven must smell like.

I would trade a box of Godiva truffles for a bag of Chocolate House seconds.

It's so sad to see these long-time establishments close down.

Milwaukee is going out of business.

The city is deteriorating.

Very, very sad.