Main Street Manitowac: The Fall Travel Series
Lately there has been a lot of talk of revitalizing down town areas. This year’s fall travel series is meant to highlight some of the more successful efforts that are in progress in our area. A recent design job for a kitchen remodel in Manitowac brought me to a specialty food store and Cambria countertop dealer that also turned out to be a custom cabinet shop. While visiting On The Surface I was able to enjoy all the other delights a walk around this town had to offer! Check it out!
The Architecture
I adore a historic district in a walk able town but even more so I enjoy the character and design of old buildings that just exist to be amazing reminders of what we were once capable of dreaming up.
There’s preservation and then there’s recreation. One is a desire to keep things as they are and the other is a will to bring the good things back. Successful revitalization needs an effort to incorporate both.
In an effort to capture some small town charm, Manitowac added details to a simple sidewalk staple: the bus stop.
From the pleasing green and gold colors to the shingle wood roof and ornate posts it reminds you of something you might see in the infamous Gilmore Girl town of Stars Hollow.
The Businesses
Besides an impressive offering of different cuisines, the sprinkling of new boutiques and shops like On The Surface keep the Main-Street-America lights on.
From Cambria countertops, specialty oils, mustards, maple syrup and more…the oversized black and white mural on the wall when you enter is a reminder that the owners had a vision when they took on this storefront.
They also proudly support other businesses in the area and those local to Wisconsin and Michigan.
One of the more well known stops in downtown Manitowac is the type of shop every main street needs- a really good candy store!
Beerntsens red neon sign beckons you into a historic looking ice cream parlor with black and white checkerboard floors and art deco glass lights.
If you have ever been to Elkhart Lake then you most definitely know Gesserts, which has the same feel as this. Not to mention the cafe portion of Iola Mills and the recently discovered The Creamery of Harper’s Mercantile in Antigo.
Beerntsens is a third generation owned store, hailing back to 1932. It’s important to keep this in mind as I really want to start exploring family traditions in business here on the blog. Generational creators and innovators are often the thriving small businesses whose specialty products draw people to patronize one town over the next.
The River front
Manitowac has done an amazing job of dressing up their riverfront with walkways, these iron arches and even a fountain that will make you think you are down south in a Charleston or Savannah type setting.
There are even water side dining options in renovated factory buildings, which is something every up and coming revitalization needs!
Your river front stroll would not be complete without a montage of murals set against a tumultuous river and rusty iron bridge. Although the whole mural thing is become a bit played out, the bright colors and joyous nature of this art made me smile. It also makes sense in this community because there is an art presence that is reflected in the impressive Rahr-West museum.
Rahr-West Museum
Now, this- this is my kind of art museum! Forget all those modern streamline buildings that embrace minimalism. This is a building with historic ties to the town that was able to be repurposed and appreciated by the public.
Why not preserve a mansion that was built with the most amazing architectural features! The extensive details in the trim, the stunning green color, the well planned out landscaping and these brick arches on the front porch- it is a visually exciting property to visit!
I want to see so much more of this in towns! Again- preservation first! And then where it has been stripped and denied- recreation! Bring back the good things- the design, the quality, the sense of pride towns once took in their presentation. When you desire these things in a society, people feel it. People want to show up there, they want to be a part of it. Tradition is important. Long standing businesses that people have always patronized are the backbone for new growth.
Let’s keep passing the torch.
And let’s reignite creation where the flame has gone out.
Visit Manitowac’s downtown, waterfront, art district- and in warmer weather- their beaches. And I hope to come back to highlight their amazing craft beer scene- that I just couldn’t fit into this post! They have even more renovated buildings serving up all kinds of brews from Pet Skull Brewing in an waterside industrial mill to the old feed mill of Sabbatical Brewing Company. Maybe that would be a good suggestion for a new series on How to Warm up this Winter! We’ll see! For now, keep enjoying those changing leaves and fall road trips!
In Case You Missed It!
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