Fiddleheads Coffee Roasters plans to open a location on the ground floor of the new
BMO Tower in downtown Milwaukee.
Slated to open Dec. 1, the cafe will be situated near the lobby, occupying a space that connects the
25-story tower with the former BMO Harris Bank and M&I Bank building at 770 N. Water Street. Construction on the Fiddleheads space will begin shortly, according to a news release.
It will be the seventh location for Milwaukee-based Fiddleheads, which currently has locations in Thiensville, Cedarburg, Mequon, Grafton, Menomonee Falls, Glendale and Shorewood. Fiddleheads serves coffee beverages, bakery items, and a full breakfast and lunch menu at all locations.
Construction of the 380,800-square-foot BMO Tower, at 790 N. Water St., was completed in March. Its developer and property manager Irgens Partners LLC navigated a
number of obstacles throughout the roughly 2.5-year-long project, including a lengthy construction of its parking structure, a flooding incident, a switch in general contractor and a global pandemic.
When Irgens reached out to Fiddleheads five weeks ago to discuss a potential deal, the cafe operator had been searching for a downtown location for quite some time, said Ray Marcy, a member of the Fiddleheads' ownership. Challenges brought on by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic helped solidify the partnership.
“In our discussions with Irgens we quickly found we shared common values, a long-term approach to business, sound financial resources, and a mutual ‘insistence on success,’" said Marcy. "The COVID world has created temporary uncertainty, but the certainty in our relationship with Irgens, made the decision easy and obvious for us."
The Fiddleheads space at BMO Tower will be surrounded by a common area, which is open to employees of both buildings and to the public with a direct retail entrance facing North Water Street. Marcy said the site's ground-floor retail space and public access checked the boxes for an ideal downtown location.
Irgens has a
major redevelopment project planned for the the 770 N. Water St. building.
"The commons between BMO Tower and the adjacent 770 building is planned to have a unique vibrancy," said Mark Irgens, chief executive officer and manager at Irgens. "Fiddleheads is the perfect partner to help achieve this vibrancy."
Throughout the lease negotiations, Kevin Schmoldt of Newmark Knight Frank represented Irgens and Brian Vanevenhoven of Newmark Knight Frank represented Fiddleheads.
