{image1} When Bobby Greenya and his wife Maire heard that TLC's "Trading Spaces" was scouting Milwaukee for a couple of homes to makeover, they went for it.
"We've always been fans of the show," says Bobby, who owns Champion's Pub on Bartlett Avenue. "We didn't really have any expectations of getting accepted, but we sent them an e-mail saying we were interested anyway."
Within minutes, he says, they received a reply from the show requesting more information about their living space. The next few weeks were filled with a lot of paperwork and uncertainty but by May 7, the show's location scouts were at their door ready for interviews and room sketches.
The Greenyas were told to pick three rooms they'd like to liven up, but that is about all they say they get in their home's new décor. "It's pretty much up to the designers. I mean, I can tell them what my dream kitchen would look like, but I think they just do their thing and hope you like it."
The Greenyas, who live above their family business, Champion's Pub, were a fitting choice for the show. After years of giving almost all their attention to the bar, their home's upkeep got placed on the back burner.
"Just about anything they do to the place would be an improvement," says Bobby. "We've got three bedrooms but no closets. We'd really love some storage space."
The Greenyas teamed up with their friends and neighbors for the house-swapping project. Either family won't know the details of the decorative plans, or even who the designers are, until the show starts filming on June 11.
Bobby, however, says that he won't allow anything in his neighbor's house that he wouldn't want in his own home. "I'm not going to do something weird or crazy to their house. After all, I still have to be their friend and neighbor! I just want to do something nice for them."
"We feel extremely lucky and we're just so excited to have been chosen. I don't even care what they do to the house, I'm just happy to be a part of the show." Bobby says that this opportunity is his way of upholding an interesting family tradition, as well. "My uncles, dad and grandparents were on 'Family Feud' in 1982. They won over $5,000."
Bobby was told the Milwaukee show would be airing in August, but says that is just an estimate. Stay tuned to OMC for updates.
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
