Milwaukee-based foodservice equipment and supply dealer
Fein Bros. is moving its showroom on King Drive two doors down, from 2007 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive to 2025 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
Company officials say the new location will provide customers an updated and more efficient showroom, while keeping them in the same general area they've been for more than 50 years. The company is aiming for a December grand opening.
Fein Bros. co-owner Todd Minkin said the new showroom will be about 3,500 square feet, about half the size as the existing showroom. He said Fein Bros. should be there for at least the next 10 years.
"It’s almost like when you have so much space, you utilize it and oftentimes not very efficiently," Minkin said. "This is just going to really allow us to be a much more efficient operation. And we’re excited about that."
According to a news release, the showroom will be designed with the help of local designers and contractors, Retail Works and Raylyn Contractors. The showroom will continue to feature equipment, small appliances, cookware, china, glassware and other items.
He said the company looked at properties in other areas, but ultimately chose to remain in the city's Bronzeville district. Fein Bros. moved into its current location back in 1967.
"We definitely looked at other properties, but we were fortunate enough to find this vacancy on King Drive," he said. "So, we were really happy with that."
The company will spend roughly between $70,000 and $100,000 on building out its new showroom space, said Minkin. The company is considering applying for assistance through the city's Facade Grant or Signage Grant programs.
Jamie Little, marketing director for Fein Bros., said the company hopes to recreate a smaller version of its landmark sign on the 2007 building. The original sign will remain in place.
Little said the company will also keep the building it owns at 2001-2003 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, next door to the existing showroom. That building will continue to be used for storage.
"We are excited to have Fein Brothers relocating right here on King Drive," Deshea Agee, executive director of Historic King Drive BID No. 8, said in an email. "They are one of our most recognized long-standing businesses, along with Crown Hardware. Fein Brothers selected a great space, one that has been unoccupied for years. The relocation of its showroom on the same block is a testament to King Drive's importance to this local business."
