In 2013, siblings Dave and Juliet Popovic opened Rusty Sprocket Antiques, a corner antique shop located at 3391 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. in Bay View.

"My bother dragged me into this," jokes Juliet, who manages day-to-day operations.

Dave does most of the buying, which is probably why many of the items are, according to Juliet, "geared toward the masculine."

"We have doilies and stuff, but a lot of it is industrial/garage/bar-type stuff," she says.

Vintage wares include numerous vintage bikes – Dave also repairs bikes in the basement – along with signs, glassware, jars of buttons, tools, kitchen items, steampunk, books, manuals, a 1970s telephone, hardware, canisters, light fixtures, knick-knacks and toys.

"Toys, I still love toys," says Dave. "But I like the history of all of it. It’s amazing that it’s all still here."

Dave purchases most of the items from contacts and walk-ins. He usually buys antiques outright rather than a consignment arrangement with the seller.

By the end of the summer, Dave and Juliet – along with business partner and friend, Gwenn Barker – will open Sprocket Cafe next door to the antique shop in the space formerly occupied by Midwest Yarn.

"Since we moved in, I kicked around the idea of taking over that space next door someday, and so when it became available, I jumped on it," says Juliet.

The future cafe is currently under construction. New bathrooms, industrial lighting and a large bar/counter area are in the works and the majority of the building materials come from reclaimed wood.

Sprocket Cafe will serve Anodyne coffee, gelato, bakery (most likely from East Side Ovens) and, eventually, sandwiches.

"We’ll also make affogatos – gelato with a shot of espresso over it," says Juliet.

Dave and Juliet have already hired a cafe manager, Rob Parrish, and are currently hiring baristas.

With a second business venture about to unfold for the brother-and-sister team, are they experiencing any sibling rivalry?

"Nah, he’s nine years older than I am so it’s never been like that for us," says Juliet.

Although Dave recently bought a farm in Muskego and Juliet resides in St. Francis, both of them lived in Bay View for many years and they are happy to contribute to the community.

"My heart is always in Bay View," says Juliet.

Sprocket Cafe will be open Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Rusty Sprocket is open Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 3 p.m.