Urban Outfitters is here. Yes, for years we wished it was true and now it is. However, time has moved on and although I'm sure Urb will do well here in Milwaukee, it's mostly passed its sell-by date for us.
Now that we have a house and a little one, our budget -- which used to have money to spend at the then-non-existent Urban Outfitters in Milwaukee -- is being spent on other stuff.
It's sad to admit, but we're no longer the "target market," and that makes me feel old.
However, I popped over for a visit yesterday to check it out. I like a lot of what they have and I expect I'll make some purchases there. The selection of gifty stuff will certainly come in handy when I need a quirky last-minute present for someone.
I'm also keeping my eye on the USB turntables they sell, because I really want one of those to start converting some of my vinyl to CD, since these days I listen to most of my music in the car or at my desk in the office and I've yet to get a turntable spinning in either of those places.
Who knows, maybe someday I'll also finally get into lomography instead of just thinking about it. Maybe not.
There is no denying, however, that with iNova Gallery, Urban Outfitters, Esselle and Anytime Fitness in the Kenilworth Building, which used to look like dead space in the heart of the East Side, the neighborhood around OnMilwaukee.com's North Avenue office is as vibrant as ever and perhaps more so than ever.
Because, don't forget, we've also got Alterra, Beans and Barley, Shag, Phase II, Envy and other great shops here, too, alongside Landmark Lanes, The Oriental Theatre, Von Trier and all the rest.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
