Much to the dismay of homeowners, rehabbers, and lovers of historical architectural elements and materials, Razed & Found is closing its retail store at 2123 W. Michigan St.
The store is a division of WasteCap Resource Solutions, which for nearly two decades has been salvaging materials to keep them out of landfills but also to reuse them and, at the same time, provide work and training to Milwaukeeans.
I profiled the shop and company in 2015.
When the news broke, one area homeowner tweeted his disappointment ...
Just saw Razed & Found (previously called Wastecap) will close its retail store on the Near West Side. As a homeowner slowly refurbishing a 100-year old home, a fan of the org's mission, and somebody rooting for that neighborhood: this SUCKS. — Isral DeBruin (@israldebruin) April 3, 2019
"WasteCap Resource Solutions is not closing," says Executive Director Travis Blomberg. "(Only) the retail store of WasteCap's Razed & Found division is closing. The Razed & Found division will continue to offer deconstruction consulting services.
"Our goal is to develop a comprehensive sustainable development program, that includes deconstruction and a material reuse warehouse in a new location."
Currently, the store – open to the public Fridays from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., Saturdays, 10-4, and Wednesdays and Thursdays by appointment – has everything on sale for 30 percent off. Each week that discount deepens until the first week of May when whatever remains will be 80 percent off.
That includes this cool Schlitz tied house cornice.
Blomberg says its unclear whether or not WasteCap will continue to sell to the public.
"In our new model, we may or may not be operators of a material reuse outlet," he says.
So, if you want to get a vintage Harley-Davidson factory window, you’d better act now.
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.
