The commercial real estate brokerage marketing the commercial space for The Couture says the building offers a unique opportunity for Milwaukee to get the attention of national retailers. Allison Curtin Nearing completion along the west side of Lincoln Memorial Drive between Michigan and Clybourn Streets at the downtown Milwaukee lakefront, The
The commercial real estate brokerage marketing the commercial space for The Couture says the building offers a unique opportunity for Milwaukee to get the attention of national retailers.
[caption id="attachment_583310" align="alignleft" width="300"] Allison Curtin[/caption]
Nearing completion along the west side of Lincoln Memorial Drive between Michigan and Clybourn Streets at the downtown Milwaukee lakefront, The Couture will have 322 luxury apartment units in a 44-floor tower, but also nearly 50,000 square feet of commercial space that spans three levels.
Couture developer Barrett Lo Visionary Development (BLVD) is working with Milwaukee-based Barchetta Real Estate Advisory to market the building's commercial space.
“The project is iconic in nature, it’s something we don’t really have in the city and, in my view, this is the city’s best shot at attracting regional and national tenants, outside of just Milwaukee-based industries or companies," said Allison Curtin, co-founder and principal at Barchetta.
The Couture is the first property that Barchetta is representing.
Barchetta was founded in 2021 by Curtin and local real estate developer and investor Jeno Cataldo. Cataldo is a co-developer on the 11-story hotel proposed near Brady Street.
The firm specializes in advising in commercial brokerage, including investing, lending and development, Curtin said. It has been doing more work in tenant representation, particularly bringing national and regional brands to Milwaukee or helping Milwaukee companies expand regionally.
Curtin said they're hoping to take their experience working with national and regional retailers and put it to use at The Couture.
“Especially on the landlord leasing side, we work more on iconic developments where we can marry brands that might work in specific spaces,” Curtin said. “That’s something specific to us and why I think Barrett Lo chose us to lead this.”
Plans for the building’s first floor show a 10,000-square-foot commercial space and a nearly 3,000-square-foot commercial space that also includes about 2,500 square feet of outdoor space.
The second floor will include two commercial spaces with about 8,500 square feet each. The first- and second-floor spaces were designed to be connected, should a multi-floor tenant move in.
The third floor has about 12,000 square feet of divisible commercial space with two outdoor areas at a total of 5,176 square feet.
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“Milwaukee isn’t on the radar for a lot of these operators that are also considering Austin and Nashville and Tampa," Curtin said. "We’ve been successful so far in getting that audience to the city, with their boots on the ground, to actually consider Milwaukee in the same breath that they’re evaluating Austin, Nashville, Tampa for some of these cooler concepts.”
Curtin said Barchetta is hoping to attract a mix of local and national tenants to The Couture's commercial space. The space could be used as office or retail space, though The Couture's third floor space could lend itself to a restaurant user given the views and outdoor dining possibilities.
[caption id="attachment_582893" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] The Couture's third floor deck, including a commercial space that could attract a restaurant tenant. Rendering from Barrett Lo Visionary Development[/caption]
“The operators that we’re talking to on the food and beverage side are projecting this to be the number one location for sales in Milwaukee, and that’s consistent for everybody that we’re talking to when they run their models,” Curtin said.
Up until last week, when BLVD opened leasing for The Couture's residences and details about the commercial space in the building were made public, Curtin said that Barchetta was focused on national outreach and marketing for the property. The firm has since started more local outreach, recently bringing in local retail brokers to tour the space.
“It’s been kind of wild, we've had a ton of interest,” Curtin said. “For instance, someone that I’ve been talking to for two years just came back and said he wanted to come take a look. We really want to make sure we look at every option, making sure that not only it’s the right fit for the residential tower, but for the neighborhood.”
Barchetta and BLVD are hoping to announce the first commercial tenants for The Couture by this summer, Curtin said.
Rendering of The Couture and some of its commercial spaces within the building's transit hub area, from Barchetta Real Estate Advisory
[caption id="attachment_583019" align="aligncenter" width="1288"] Rendering of The Couture from Barchetta Real Estate Advisory[/caption]
