After a new ownership group took ownership of Bayshore last year, the Milwaukee-based games, toys, and puzzles retailer could not permanently extend its current lease agreement there, which expires in January, and were unable to secure a new space at the shopping center, said Board Game Barrister owner Gordon Lugauer.
“There is no location for us to move to within the mall that they are willing to talk to us about,” he said.
Bayshore recently proposed a $75 million redevelopment project that would reduce its retail space by almost half. The plan includes demolishing its north side indoor mall portion, which houses Board Game Barrister and other retailers including Shaw’s Jewelers and Foot Locker.
“We would love to be apart of this next phase, but there are currently no discussions about how to make that happen,” Lugauer said.
Lugauer founded Board Game Barrister in 2005 and opened the Bayshore location in 2006– the same year a $300 million redevelopment project transformed Bayshore from an indoor mall to its current town center concept.
Board Game Barrister also operates locations in South Milwaukee, at Greenfield Towne Center and at Mayfair Mall in Wauwatosa.
Lugauer said he will keep the store in the North Shore area, and is currently searching for a new retail location. The store can extend its lease at Bayshore on a month-to-month basis for a limited amount of time, Lugauer said, so he expects to relocate sometime within the first half of 2019. The store would close for a short time during the transition between locations, he said.
Although Lugauer said he is “saddened” to move Board Game Barrister out of Bayshore after 12 years, he said he is not surprised by the proposed redevelopment plans. He also touted the mall, saying “we would not be where we are today if it were not for the Bayshore location.”
