Nordstrom in Greater Milwaukee (Madison, Green Bay: sales, lease, condos)

[L. Ronald Cromwell MD, Ph]

Dear Mr. Nordstrom

Please reconsider the opening of a Nordstrom Department Store in greater Milwaukee. With the departure of Marshall Fields our city (with a greater metro area of 11 counties and over 2 million people) lacks any upscale department store at all. In fact, we have never really had such a store during the 41 years my wife and I have lived here.

During this time there has been much change in Milwaukee. We have become much more than an industrial suburb of Chicago. In the area of culture we have a internationally recognized repertory theater and symphony. We also boast our own grand opera as well as a light opera. We are one of the few cities that has our own ballet, chamber theater, chamber orchestra as will as at least two beautiful theaters for road shows.

In the area of sports we have both a basketball and baseball team, the latter in a spectacular new opening-roof ball park. Perhaps the best known of our our teams, however, is the Green Bay Packers, which is owned by its fans, the greater part of which is Milwaukeeans. The name Green Bay and the team's huge new stadium are kept in Green Bay for historical and nostalgic reasons. The team is actually Milwaukee's team, just as the New England team is really that of Boston.

Our downtown is booming with new skyscrapers - much of which is housing, priced at $1,000,000 or higher. Our freeways have just been rebuilt providing quick travel to any one of our shopping malls. More importantly, however, is the fact than almost any one our our shopping areas would bend over backward to get a Nordstrom Store. Our two main upscale shopping areas are May-fair Mall on the west - the so-called Lake Country for the wide scattering of smaller, recreational lakes to the west of our downtown. The second, Bayshore Town Center, is a new concept of mall plus open-air, village like (plus housing) shopping area. In addition our downtown mall, the Grand Avenue, is to be rebuilt into an upscale shopping area matching the spending habits and wishes of the buyers of the new condos. A second new shopping, entertainment, housing, office and dining area - a remake of the huge unused Pabst Brewery site and many of its buildings - is to be another downtown upscale living and shopping area.

To the far west of the metro area a new regional mall is being developed in Lake Country - Pabst Farm. Thus, as you can readily see there are many, many choices for Nordstrom to choose from - any one of which will draw shoppers to the area from any other part of the city. Perhaps central to this plan is the rebuilding of our train station to include Metra trains from Union Station in Chicago as well and form a connection between downtown Milwaukee to our suburban living areas and eventually to Madison and Green Bay.

A Nordstrom store here will thus draw from Green Bay to the north and Madison to the west. Furthermore there are shoppers is all these areas just waiting for you to open your doors and to spend money at your store.

I understand that several years ago Nordstrom expressed an interest in Mayfair Mall but was vetoed by Marshall Fields (now Macy's and happy to be housed with you, I am sure) plus a local store named Boston Store (Carson Pirie Scott, under mid-level Bon Ton ownership) and which any shopping area in the city would let leave if they tried to keep you out again.

I apologize for the length of this letter, but do wish that you or another member of your management team would visit to see our beautiful new booming city and to recommend to you that it would be most profitable to have a store here.

Thank you, L. Ronald Cromwell MD, PhD

[Lookout Kid]

Good luck with that. Send one to Bloomingdales too, while you're at it. But if you're unsuccessful, we'd love to have you come and spend your money down here in Chicago!

[quijote]

I think it's more likely that a Von Maur will eventually come to Milwaukee. Perhaps this is part of the "big news" that the Shops at Grand Avenue will reveal in early 2008. However, I think it's more likely that Bayshore Town Center will buy Sears out of its lease, redo that section, and bring in a tenant such as Von Maur.

In the meantime, if you need upscale, go to Macy's--or better yet, hit the garage sales and thrift shops, and reuse what's already out there and perfectly good to wear.

[huggybear28]

Living in Milwaukee a few years back I guess I never realized there were not virtually any upscale stores around Milwuakee. In the twin cities they just recently announced the opening of a second Nordstrom's. Although the lack of these stores can probably be attributed to Milwaukee's blue collar image and it's close proximity to Chicago.

[43north87west]

Originally Posted by L. Ronald Cromwell MD, Ph

Dear Mr. Nordstrom

...
I apologize for the length of this letter, but do wish that you or another member of your management team would visit to see our beautiful new booming city and to recommend to you that it would be most profitable to have a store here.

Thank you, L. Ronald Cromwell MD, PhD

I really enjoyed reading that. You're absolutely right. Milwaukee isn't the schmo-ville factory town of years past (I've lived there for extended periods, twice). There is still plenty of that, but not as bad as it once was. I am surprised that there aren't more upscale retail establishments, although, the area is getting better.

I used to go to Chicagoland all the time. Sometimes I'd do Michigan Avenue, but you really don't need to go all the way into the city to get good retail. Within an hour of much of Milwaukee, you can get to very good retail in Chicagoland. I'd do it after dinner frequently. Not the best solution, but I spent an hour driving from my house in Scottsdale to Sky Harbor airport on Friday, and it is only seventeen miles...

Actually the proximity to Chicagoland (~1hr) may be the reason why more upscale places aren't trying to get into Milwaukee. If someone balks at an hour drive or $30 in gas, are they really going to shop at an expensive store even if it is only five miles away instead of fifty? Probably not.

[Crazy G]

"IF" you been there for the 41 years you claim, then your sure to remember back in 1958, what the New York baseball team called Milwaukee!!!!!

>>>>>"""BUSH LEAGUE"""<<<<<<<

And also to....what Lew Alcindar [Kareem Abdul Jabar] referred to Milwaukee as, before he got traded to LA.....

Milwaukee, is a great town, for WalMarts, etc....
Just good middle class people doing their thing!!!!

[Nuclear_Art]

Milwaukee has plenty of upscale clothing stores that are better than Nordstrom's. Of course they don't have the volume but they are around in downtown, Brady Street, Shorewood, Whitefish Bay, Mequon, Brown Deer, etc.

Nordstrom is just another American department store. You can find the same brands and styles they sell anywhere in Milwaukee at other retailers. The crap they sell still doesn't hold up to quality European clothes. Show me a Massimo Dutti store or an Adolfo Dominguez or Zara and I would be impressed. Even Chicago is too backwater for those clothiers.

[trizkutt]

L Ronald Cromwell, MD, PHD?


Please tell me that user name is a joke. If not, you are the biggest tool the world has ever known.