Coffee Trader – Anchor Place
This building was built in 1975 after two brick buildings were removed due to fire damage. It was written off as a "non-contributing structure" in the local historic designation of North Downer Avenue commercial district in 2001. Coffee Trade operated only from 1975 to the late 1990s, but it is still present in people's minds.
How Coffee Trader began and ended on Downer
It was right after the term "specialty coffee" was first used (1974) that Coffee Trader opened in this location. According to Margaret Howland and an article in Milwaukee Journal, prior to its opening on Downer, Coffee Trader had a store on E. Park Place. that sold only beans. This is the same location where Sendik’s fish market is currently situated.
The Downer store originally shared the entrance with Henry's bar and restaurant, which is now located at 2523 E. Belleview Place. There was neither Starbucks nor Alterra in Milwaukee; Starbucks had just opened their first store at Pike Place Market in Seattle in 1971 and Alterra's history dates back to 1993. Coffee Trader was therefore the place to go for the neighborhood members and more generally, Milwaukeeans. |
Coffee Trader faded in the 1990s, and the building was vacant for several years. In late 2003, Ristorante Bartolotta opened Pizzeria Piccola in the former Henry's location, but closed it after only seven months of operation. Bartolotta opened another restaurant at the same location in 2005, but it too lasted for two years. In 2006, one of the current tenants, Original Pancake House came in the former Coffee Trader location. VIA Downer, the other tenant, opened in the former Henry's location in 2010, after a women's clothing store Fran Hill left the site (after less than three years of operation). AthletiCo, a chain physical therapy clinic, started to occupy the other part of the former Coffee Trader site in 2010.
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What people think of Coffee Trader
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Architectural Change – Public to Private
Interior
It seems that the current space preserves the basic interior structure: exposed timber roof trusses and Milwaukee cream brick walls. However, the Coffee Trader’s layout is very different from that of Original Pancake House. |
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Exterior
The exterior structure is also relatively intact. However, the awnings added to Original Pancake House and VIA Downer and their tables outside are visual and cosmetic changes. Whereas Henry’s and Coffee Trader shared the entrance, VIA Downer and Original Pancake House do not. |
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- Alterra, "History," accessed July 3, 2013.
- Jeff Beutner, "Via Downer: Light Meals in an Attractive Setting," Express Milwaukee, June 29, 2010.
- City of Milwaukee Historic Preservation Commission, "Final Historic Designation Study Report: North Downer Avenue Commercial District" (Milwaukee: Historic Preservation Commission, 2001), 7–9.
- Tom Daykin, "Bringing up Downer," Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, April 8. 2007.
- Dennis R. Getto, "Fine dining returning to Downer," Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, April 15, 2005, 3D.
- Margaret Howland, interview by Daniel Cho and Yuko Nakamura, Milwaukee, June 19, 2013.
- Thea Kovac, interview by Daniel Cho and Yuko Nakamura, Milwaukee, June 19, 2013.
- Dave Luhrssen, "The Jewel of Downer Mall," Milwaukee Journal: Accent on the Weekend, April 27, 1984, 1, 4.
- Specialty Coffee Association of America, "History," accessed July 3, 2013.
- Starbucks Coffee Company, "Starbucks Company Timeline," accessed July 3, 2013.
- Molly Snyder, "Longtime server reflects on the iconic Coffee Trader," On Milwaukee, June 17, 2013.
- Cynthia Sommer, "AthletiCo Milwaukee Eastside – New on Downer," accessed July 3, 2013.
- Susan Willets, interview by Fran Assa, Daniel Cho and Yuko Nakamura, Milwaukee, June 18, 2013.
More Place-Based Stories
Go back to the map of the places. Or choose one from the list below.
Sendik's | Downer Hardware | Mulkern's Garage | Downer Theatre | Popcorn Wagon | St. Mark's | Downer Garage
Sendik's | Downer Hardware | Mulkern's Garage | Downer Theatre | Popcorn Wagon | St. Mark's | Downer Garage