MILWAUKEE — How do you make a neighborhood succeed?
“I've taken responsibility of planting some trees in their place. If the county doesn't have the money for it, I'm going to do it,” Danny Jankowski said.
He's talking about guerrilla gardening by planting trees in Kosciuszko Park in Milwaukee. While that certainly can make a difference, there are also simpler methods that are just as effective like being your neighborhood's number one fan and advocate.
“I just love what people are doing in the neighborhood, and I want to take time to highlight that," Don Rambadt, who helps lead the Lincoln Village Business Association, said.
He has lived on Lincoln Avenue for the past 10 years. He quickly got involved and focuses on lifting up the people who work, play, and live on the south side. Rambadt loves seeing so many new businesses find their stride on Lincoln Avenue.
“People go, 'Oh Manny, you know, that's the guy that cut my hair.' It's a great feeling to be that one person to make people smile, you know," Emmanuel Cruz, who goes by Manny Stylez, said.
While entrepreneurs are making the most of new opportunities, legacy businesses continue to anchor the business district.
“It was my grandpa's entire life, my dad's entire life, and now it's turning into mine," Tanya Stanislaw, the owner of Chet and Leona's Floral Shop, said.
It’s a mix of historic and modern Milwaukee that’s pushing this business district into the future.
“Hi, my name is Don Rambadt. We’re in Lincoln Village. Welcome to My Block.”
I met Don Rambadt, so he could show me his neighborhood through his eyes and experiences. Everywhere we went and who we talked to was all up to him. Welcome to Don’s neighborhood.
Don Rambadt
“I've lived all over Milwaukee. I've lived on the East Side, Bay View, Riverwest, and what I've loved about this neighborhood is just the sweet spot of, you know, being a very safe, vibrant community, but also affordable," Rambadt said.
He lives right on Lincoln Avenue, which means he is in the heart of the business district. While he is surrounded by shops, it still feels like a cozy neighborhood to him.
“As we're walking around, everybody kind of knows each other, and they chat, and it makes me feel great.”
Lincoln Village is a neighborhood anchored by a strong business district with residential areas surrounding it. All it takes is a short walk to get to a restaurant, barbershop, or bike store.
"It's, you know, mostly working families. It's a very working-class neighborhood. People are just trying to get by, raise their families, start their businesses," Rambadt said.
One of those entrepreneurs is Emmanuel Cruz.
Emmanuel Cruz
"I was looking for a place near where I grew up, and it took me a couple years to find the right place. I finally found it, and I was so happy," Cruz said.
We walked into Cruz's barbershop as he was giving a client a haircut. Cruz, who also goes by Manny Stylez, lives above his store.
"It's very comfortable. Now, I can just go right downstairs. I don't have to drive so much. It's a lot easier to just be focused on my business. Now that I'm just starting my new business, living upstairs is a big benefit," Cruz said.
He has been cutting hair for more than 20 years and is self-taught. His customers come from as far away as Green Bay and Dodge County.
One of his favorite things about the Lincoln Village Business Association is its diversity. For Cruz, this cultural melting pot makes the neighborhood more dynamic.
"We grew up, you know, having a dream. Everyone here has a - we really like to work. A lot of immigrants that came to work, that try to come up off nothing. It's a really nice place to come and start a new life, you know," Cruz said.
You can get in contact with him by going to his Instagram page.
Another one of those new businesses ushering the neighborhood into the future is Hideout Lashroom.
Maribel Franco
“I do lash extensions and sell lash supplies and also offer lash training.”
Maribel Franco has always had a passion for the beauty industry. When the space on Lincoln Avenue opened, she knew that was where she would start her business.
"So growing up, I was more so, my attention was called to the beauty industry. Whether it was doing my hair, makeup, or any other services. I knew that was my full focus, and out of high school, I immediately - eyelashes caught my attention. So I practiced it, and I think my passion grew more for it the more that I practiced. And now that I teach courses for younger girls, it just keeps growing and growing, and now just operating the business has shown me how much more I can evolve in it."
She is one of the youngest and newest members of the Lincoln Village Business Association. While new to owning a shop on the street, she has been around Lincoln Avenue for a while. Her family has deep ties there.
“So I grew up in the neighborhood. I have also seen my parents and many other of my family members in the South Side, specifically Lincoln Avenue. So that kind of motivated me just to also help my community grow.”
You can find more information about Hideout Lashroom here.
Now, even though this is a story about a business district, there are plenty of people, like Ramabdt and Cruz, who live on Lincoln Avenue. Another one of those people is Danny Jankowski. He lives just a block off Lincoln.
Danny Jankowski
“Well, I was born here. I've been living here since '61. My family has been in this house since 1909.”
Danny Jankowski loves it here. Given how long his family has lived in the same home, he feels like it's his duty to maintain the property.
"Yea, I just feel like it's my legacy to hang on to this and restore it and make it the best it can be," he said.
Beyond his family home, he is also taking care of the park across the street from him, Kosciuszko Park.
"I've taken responsibility of planting some trees in their place. If the county doesn't have the money for it, I'm going to do it."
He is referring to the fact that some trees have been removed from the park due to Emerald Ash Borers, which is an invasive species that feeds off specific types of trees.
Jankowski doesn't like that the county isn't replacing the trees it removes with new saplings. So, he does that himself.
"I feel pretty strongly about trees. I think we need more trees now than we've ever needed them. Like I said, I've been here since the 60s, and half the trees are missing from this park."
This is a form of guerrilla gardening. He is planting his own trees in Milwaukee County Park land. He told all of this to me while on-camera. So, I asked him how he would respond to someone from the parks who wasn't happy with his actions.
"I mean, if you guys don't have the money and don't have the manpower to do it, and I can do it, I'm just going to do it. Someone has to do it. I mean, I'm not going to sit here and wait 'till this becomes a parking lot instead of a park," Jankowski said.
It's a bit like his legacy to hold on to and preserve not only his family home but the park across from his house. Jankowski wants to make sure both are enjoyed by future generations for decades to come.
Speaking of preservation, a longtime business has found a unique way to keep a historic theater relatively intact (even if it's not showing movies anymore).
Vince Hanoski
“Ben's Cycle is a family business that opened up in 1928," Vince Hanoski, the third-generation owner of Ben's Cycle, said.
The bike shop has weathered world wars, economic collapses, and a pandemic. What does that mean? People love their bikes and getting outside.
"Being here for almost 100 years, we're approaching our 98th year, I think. Staying here was a very wise investment. We've added on. We've done a lot of construction to the building. The buildings are done really, really nice inside, and I think that's important to the community and Lincoln Avenue."
In fact, the bike business is booming for Ben's Cycle. Hanoski needed to expand his storage space, so he bought the neighboring Riviera Theater. It was a theater from 1918 to 1955. Multiple tenants owned it after the Riviera showed its last movie. The interior still looks a bit like a theater, except now there are more bikes.
“Well, we definitely did renovations to the inside and outside. And tried to keep it the same. You know, in a non-heated space, you can only do so much. But for warehouse space - and people love to see the inside," Hanoski said.
There is a door that goes directly into the theater. Hanoski said they give tours every day.
Another longtime business that has survived for decades despite the twists and turns of life is the local flower shop.
Tanya Stanislaw
“Well, we have been in this location since 1950," Tanya Stanislaw, the owner of Chet and Leona's Floral Shop, said.
She took over the business from her dad in 2021.
"It's in my roots. It's been a part of me since I can remember. I spent sick days here from school. I took days off from work to come here and work during the holidays. It's just ingrained in me," she said.
Flowers have an eternal quality to them. Even though flowers wilt, they fit just about any occasion.
“Flowers make people happy. I think flowers can be used for anything really, funerals, illnesses, weddings, anything.”
That's why she thinks the store has been able to stay open so long.
“It shows that small businesses can still thrive. Family-owned businesses thrive. We've seen ups and downs in the community. It's changed quite a bit over the years, but we're still here.”
The last stop we made is a two-for-one. It's one owner who operates an old and a new business.
Mohamed Ibrahim
“We cook basically Burmese, Malaysian food, and Thai foods," Mohamed Ibrahim, the owner of Aseya Restaurant, said.
Aseya means mom in Burmese, so the eatery's name is mom's restaurant. Mohamed and his family moved from Burma to Malaysia and eventually settled in Milwaukee.
“Then people love my mom's foods, you know. And then my mom said she would like to open, and, you know, start the new business for the restaurant," Ibrahim said.
Before he started the restaurant, he and his family opened a grocery store in 2007 in the adjacent building.
"I started grocery store here first. Then I like this neighborhood because there's a lot of people walking around, and I like the neighborhood here. And a lot of people supporting me here, so I like to open at the same space," he said.
He offers food found in typical grocery stores in Malaysia and Burma from coffee to snacks to cuts of meat.
Ibrahim feels confident that his grocery store and restaurant can thrive on Lincoln Avenue. He said he truly has the community's support.
“I have a lot of friends since I was open here in 2007. I already knew a lot of people around here, so they so friendly to me, you know. So yea, I like this neighborhood because I have a lot of sweet friends here.”
Aseya Restaurant is open Monday - Thursday 12 pm - 10 pm, Friday 2 pm - 10 pm, and Saturday - Sunday 10 am - 10 pm.
One Last Question
As is tradition in the My Block series, the last word is always given to the tour guide of the My Block story. In this episode, that's Don Rambadt.
Before that happens, here is how you can be part of the award-winning series. Reach out to me, James Groh, to nominate your neighborhood or a neighbor to be featured in the next story. You can fill out this submission form or contact me at james.groh@tmj4.com or call/text at (414) 254-8145. The series covers all types of neighborhoods and communities. Previous examples include stories on a mother-daughter duo revitalizing Metcalfe Park, a rural neighborhood where the same families have lived for 186 years, how one woman is keeping a watchful eye on her neighborhood, the Dharmic temples of Pewaukee, how Latino immigrants adapt to life in Milwaukee, and many more. Watch the other 34 My Block stories here.
Now, back to Don Rambadt.
"Is there anything else you'd like to say about your neighborhood?" I asked him.
"I’m just looking around and feeling content. You know, there's just something about, you know, just basically after our tour, just walking around seeing all the people that we met. All the people that I know in the neighborhood just makes me happy to get outside and realize I know my neighbors. And it's seeds that we planted over the last 7, 8 years are starting to sprout and grow. And all these relationships that we’ve been trying to build just have turned into something where I feel pretty happy when I walk around my neighborhood now."
Watch the story on Lincoln Village Business Association here...
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