MONROE - Several downtown business owners say the Square in Monroe is the new place to be.
Hans Wampfler moved his computer company, CPP Computers, back downtown this year after trying the west side for five years.
With the move to 1609 10th St., he and his wife, Julie Stratman, brought their coffee shop and cafe, added a pub aspect to it, and renamed it The Bean and Barrel.
CPP computers was established and grew for 10 years one block off the Square, but Wampfler said the downtown seemed to be dying when he decided to move west in 2006.
"Westside had become the place to be," he said. "And then BID (Business Improvement District) and Monroe Main Street redid the Square, and they (Historical Preservation Commission) put in some actual guidelines to make the stores look good again."
With customers saying that the coffee shop had to be a planned destination to the city's westside, Wampfler and Stratman wanted to find a more convenient location and more customers.
In the summer of 2011, they noticed out-of-state license plates on cars parked on the Square "even on Sundays when nothing was open," Wampfler said.
The Square was active, he said, with the Main Street's summer events, Zoo on the Square and Concerts on the Square, and all during the week.
When they opened the Bean and Barrel in late January, their coffee shop customers and computer clients followed, Wampfler said. And they have already acquired new weekly regulars.
"We have the same people, plus, now," he said.
With trusted employees at CPP Computers and Stratman in the manager's office, both located behind the cafe store front, Wampfler spends a great amount of his time tapping Wisconsin micro-brewed beers and frothing milk for coffee made fresh from Madison's Steep and Brew beans.
Pairing the two bars is a novel idea, one that Wampfler was not sure about doing until his wife asked, why not? But since making the marriage of beans and brew under one roof, Wampfler has noticed the idea is also hatching in California.
Wampfler encourages employees and customers to create drinks, both mixed and coffees. Unique food combinations are tested before making it on the menu. The pastries are made next door by Kline's Kitchens, and the gyros are genuine from Parthenon Restaurant, specially cooked and shipped from Chicago.
Of course, with CPP computers in the back, wireless Internet is available. But don't expect to find dart boards or a big screen television. Wampfler said the Bean and Barrel is for socializing.
Socializing may be one reason so many men stop while their wives are one door away, in Urban Spa and Boutique at 1611 10th St.
While the spa offers "everything a woman wants," salon owner Renee Argall said men are frequent customers at the salon.
Argall looked at other locations for the spa, but being on the Square is "truly a perfect fit for me," she said.
"I like the traffic and the people, and I love the small businesses," she added. "I found my passion here."
The spa has a regular clientele, but tourism is a plus. Women tourists do take advantage of the many spa services - nails, hair, pedicures, facials, massages, and makeup consultations, while on vacation, she added.
"We're not just a salon," she said. "With the boutique, and hair, bath, skin care and makeup lines, a lot of women see what we have and come in."
Taking care of themselves builds confidence for women at any age, said Argall, who has been in the industry for 20 years. So the recent economy has not been drastically hard on women care services.
"Women are still going to buy their makeup," she added.
Argall knows that beauty is more than skin deep, and Urban Spa was designed on the same philosophy. The retail space was gutted and completely remodeled, and made up in complementary colors, before the spa moved in nearly one year ago.
"We wanted to make it so the Square looked good," Argall said.
Linda and Ed Johnson of Warren moved their antique store, Swan's Nest, from along Highway 20 in Illinois to the Square in August. With the events on the Square and retail space at 1017 16th Ave., Linda said there was not a better spot for their store.
"We noticed the Chamber and the city does a lot to bring in tourists. And we always liked coming to Monroe," she said.
Johnson said half of her customers are not from the area, in which she includes Freeport and Madison; they're from out of state. Johnson noted customers come from as far as Texas, Florida, Chicago and Milwaukee. On Wednesday, she added California and Arizona to that list, when students from North Park University stopped during a science class trip to the Alp and Dell to see cheese being made.
More retail spaces and apartments on the Square are coming available soon.
Craig Patchin of FACE Properties in Madison is renovating the building at 1005 16th Ave. The space, 1,700 square feet per floor, will include two retail spaces, two lofts and a full basement.
The decision to do such an extensive remodeling project on the Square is "a force for good in the city, and profitable," he said.
Patchin expects the building to be completed and ready for new tenants by fall.
Hans Wampfler moved his computer company, CPP Computers, back downtown this year after trying the west side for five years.
With the move to 1609 10th St., he and his wife, Julie Stratman, brought their coffee shop and cafe, added a pub aspect to it, and renamed it The Bean and Barrel.
CPP computers was established and grew for 10 years one block off the Square, but Wampfler said the downtown seemed to be dying when he decided to move west in 2006.
"Westside had become the place to be," he said. "And then BID (Business Improvement District) and Monroe Main Street redid the Square, and they (Historical Preservation Commission) put in some actual guidelines to make the stores look good again."
With customers saying that the coffee shop had to be a planned destination to the city's westside, Wampfler and Stratman wanted to find a more convenient location and more customers.
In the summer of 2011, they noticed out-of-state license plates on cars parked on the Square "even on Sundays when nothing was open," Wampfler said.
The Square was active, he said, with the Main Street's summer events, Zoo on the Square and Concerts on the Square, and all during the week.
When they opened the Bean and Barrel in late January, their coffee shop customers and computer clients followed, Wampfler said. And they have already acquired new weekly regulars.
"We have the same people, plus, now," he said.
With trusted employees at CPP Computers and Stratman in the manager's office, both located behind the cafe store front, Wampfler spends a great amount of his time tapping Wisconsin micro-brewed beers and frothing milk for coffee made fresh from Madison's Steep and Brew beans.
Pairing the two bars is a novel idea, one that Wampfler was not sure about doing until his wife asked, why not? But since making the marriage of beans and brew under one roof, Wampfler has noticed the idea is also hatching in California.
Wampfler encourages employees and customers to create drinks, both mixed and coffees. Unique food combinations are tested before making it on the menu. The pastries are made next door by Kline's Kitchens, and the gyros are genuine from Parthenon Restaurant, specially cooked and shipped from Chicago.
Of course, with CPP computers in the back, wireless Internet is available. But don't expect to find dart boards or a big screen television. Wampfler said the Bean and Barrel is for socializing.
Socializing may be one reason so many men stop while their wives are one door away, in Urban Spa and Boutique at 1611 10th St.
While the spa offers "everything a woman wants," salon owner Renee Argall said men are frequent customers at the salon.
Argall looked at other locations for the spa, but being on the Square is "truly a perfect fit for me," she said.
"I like the traffic and the people, and I love the small businesses," she added. "I found my passion here."
The spa has a regular clientele, but tourism is a plus. Women tourists do take advantage of the many spa services - nails, hair, pedicures, facials, massages, and makeup consultations, while on vacation, she added.
"We're not just a salon," she said. "With the boutique, and hair, bath, skin care and makeup lines, a lot of women see what we have and come in."
Taking care of themselves builds confidence for women at any age, said Argall, who has been in the industry for 20 years. So the recent economy has not been drastically hard on women care services.
"Women are still going to buy their makeup," she added.
Argall knows that beauty is more than skin deep, and Urban Spa was designed on the same philosophy. The retail space was gutted and completely remodeled, and made up in complementary colors, before the spa moved in nearly one year ago.
"We wanted to make it so the Square looked good," Argall said.
Linda and Ed Johnson of Warren moved their antique store, Swan's Nest, from along Highway 20 in Illinois to the Square in August. With the events on the Square and retail space at 1017 16th Ave., Linda said there was not a better spot for their store.
"We noticed the Chamber and the city does a lot to bring in tourists. And we always liked coming to Monroe," she said.
Johnson said half of her customers are not from the area, in which she includes Freeport and Madison; they're from out of state. Johnson noted customers come from as far as Texas, Florida, Chicago and Milwaukee. On Wednesday, she added California and Arizona to that list, when students from North Park University stopped during a science class trip to the Alp and Dell to see cheese being made.
More retail spaces and apartments on the Square are coming available soon.
Craig Patchin of FACE Properties in Madison is renovating the building at 1005 16th Ave. The space, 1,700 square feet per floor, will include two retail spaces, two lofts and a full basement.
The decision to do such an extensive remodeling project on the Square is "a force for good in the city, and profitable," he said.
Patchin expects the building to be completed and ready for new tenants by fall.