I drove past the former Martini Mike's last night, and saw that Six Star Holdings has applied for a tavern and cabaret license for the Downtown location at 730 N. Old World 3rd St. The club would be called Silk East.
Silk's owners also have proposed another location at 117 W. Pittsburgh Ave. in Walker's Point. This is second time they've looked at this location.
Formerly the Velvet Room, the Downtown location is steps from the Shops of Grand Avenue, ESPN Milwaukee, the Hyatt Regency, Frontier Airlines Center and thousands of residents and Downtown office workers. The location made news in May for a shooting outside its doors.
What are your thoughts on a gentlemen's club in the heart of Downtown Milwaukee? Remember, a few years ago the Velvet Room owners floated this very same idea. It was quickly rejected.
Does Milwaukee need an upscale strip club? Could it help drive convention business? Some may say yes, others demur. Is this location on Old World Third Street the "right" spot?
Talkback now, Milwaukee, and we'll continue to monitor the license process.
A life-long and passionate community leader and Milwaukeean, Jeff Sherman is a co-founder of OnMilwaukee.
He grew up in Wauwatosa and graduated from Marquette University, as a Warrior. He holds an MBA from Cardinal Stritch University, and is the founding president of Young Professionals of Milwaukee (YPM)/Fuel Milwaukee.
Early in his career, Sherman was one of youngest members of the Greater Milwaukee Committee, and currently is involved in numerous civic and community groups - including board positions at The Wisconsin Center District, Wisconsin Club and Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. He's honored to have been named to The Business Journal's "30 under 30" and Milwaukee Magazine's "35 under 35" lists.
He owns a condo in Downtown and lives in greater Milwaukee with his wife Stephanie, his son, Jake, and daughter Pierce. He's a political, music, sports and news junkie and thinks, for what it's worth, that all new movies should be released in theaters, on demand, online and on DVD simultaneously.
He also thinks you should read OnMilwaukee each and every day.
