Posted inBusiness Spotlight

Alive and Kickin’

by Kevin Flaherty, photos by Peter DiAntoni

When Sahnya Thom was in elementary school, her father insisted that his daughters take at least three months of self-defense classes. More than 21 years and countless hours of martial artistry later, her father’s well-meaning edict has become not only her paycheck: it’s become her lifestyle.

Posted inBusiness Briefs

June 2003

Matyas Building (Holton St.) Rehab – Busalacchi constructing storage lockers on old CMC railroad land (E. Chambers & Weil), much to the dismay of residents and Alderman D’Amato – John Goldstein, president of the Milwaukee County Labor Council, honored by MICAH. – Onopa kitchen plans

Posted inBusiness Spotlight

Kellner Greenhouses

by Kevin Flaherty

Perhaps it is only fitting that Kellner Greenhouses, an oasis of green amidst an urban neighborhood, sits squarely in the Riverwest neighborhood at 3258 N. Humboldt Blvd. After all, Riverwest is a neighborhood of contrasts: luxury condos co-exist with urban poverty; bungalow and duplex residences abut gritty machine shops and heavy industry; and small retailers like the Riverwest Co-op and Kellner reside blocks from the corporate monoliths they compete with like Jewel-Osco and Wal-Mart.

Posted inBusiness Spotlight

Great Lake Zen Center: A Refuge of Stillness in the Heart of Riverwest

by Jeff Johnson / Photos by Tess Reiss

Gleaming tile floors, plain white walls, green plants, fresh flowers, a whiff of incense, and a solemn statue of Buddha mingle with the rumble of cars, trucks, and buses on Locust Street. This is meditation, not on some mountain top, not out in the woods, but embedded in bustle at the center of the city. And indeed there is stillness.

Posted inBusiness Spotlight

Hardwood Furnishings at Sup Design

by Peter Schmitdke / photos by Tess Reiss

Martin Dietrich runs his hand over a newly varnished bar top that is propped on a couple of garbage cans in his Sup Design shop. “The wood doesn’t look at all like that when it comes in,” he says. Dietrich points to a dozen or so industrial saws, sanding machines, and planers, and explains how each one contributed in transforming a rough chunk of wood into something that will be a fixture in his client’s home upon which drinks and meals will be served for generations.