‘Like something in Chicago or New York': Mercantile Plaza now open in Port Washington
Throughout the grand opening for Port Washington’s new part-gallery, part-common area called Mercantile Plaza, founder and owner Julie Christiansen kept hearing from attendees that the space looked like nothing else in the city.
Located at 211 N. Franklin St. in the heart of Port Washington, the plaza features a gallery-style shopping section and a common area for eating and socializing. The 4,000-square-foot space in the historic Boerner Mercantile building showcases a variety of original fine art across a range of price points, Christiansen said.
Around 80% of the 28 current vendors are local, including artists who create fused glass, charcoal art dishware, flower arrangements, pottery and ceramics, fiber art, metals, woodwork, and a variety of paintings and wall art displayed on towering, mobile gallery walls beneath lofted ceilings.
Goal was to create an 'indoor oasis' and a central gathering space
“I kept hearing people say the space looked very bougie and upscale — that it looked like something in Chicago or New York,” Christiansen said. Around 40 people attended the Nov. 1 grand opening.
Christiansen is the chief commercial officer for the personal care contract manufacturer Cosway Company, Inc. Her husband, Mike Christiansen, is retired but serves as general manager of the plaza.
“Our vision for this space was to create an indoor oasis that becomes a central gathering space for people to walk around and view, and hopefully purchase, some beautiful artwork,” he said.
Visitors will be able to meet friends for beers, snacks, desserts and shopping, as well as enjoy the music of acoustic violinists and guitarists who will play in the space. Of note, the dessert menu will feature treats from the made-from-scratch bakery Cake Creations in Grafton.
As the pair continue to improve the space, Julie Christiansen said it will feature a lounge, gaming tables, a coloring area for kids and a photo wall.
Space is 'too beautiful just to be sitting here'
Julie and Mike Christiansen both grew up in the Milwaukee area ― Julie in Lannon and Mike in Brown Deer ― and moved to Port Washington after living in Minneapolis and Los Angeles.
After the move, Julie managed her company from one of the shared office spaces in the Boerner Mercantile building. The pair fell in love with the building's cream-city brick and loft-style spaciousness and knew they had to develop a great business concept to launch in the location, Julie Christiansen said. “I kept saying, ‘this space is too beautiful just to be sitting here.'"
She developed the idea for a mixed-platform, “art gallery meets community commons,” as she called it, while spending time at Frankie’s, a seasonal Airstream camper selling ice cream and donuts in downtown Port during the summers.
“It's set up like a little town square where you can sit with your friends. I thought, ‘Well, where are all these people going to gather together when winter comes?'” she said.
"We made a conscious decision to leave city life behind and find a place to live where we could really get to know our neighbors. We wanted to experience that old-fashioned feeling of community, and really develop genuine relationships,” she said. This quest became the reason for creating Mercantile Plaza.
They created the business in the span of three months, starting in August.
Mercantile Plaza will feature artwork, as well as clothing, gifts and more
The large space in the building where the Mercantile Plaza is located had been vacant for around a year since the bike shop ZuZu Pedals closed its brick-and-mortar location there in August 2022.
In addition to the artwork, shoppers at the plaza will be able to find artisan clothing and small, giftable items, such as journals and tote bags.
“We wanted to create a space for everyone. We want it to be accessible for everyone. Not everybody can spend $500 or $1,000 on a piece of art,” she said.
The space will also hold events, live music and art workshops, including a flower arranging workshop Nov. 16 and a perfume making class Dec. 7.
Christiansen said she’s eager to uplift local artists who don’t have places to show and sell their art. It’s why she’s purposely created a model where the consignment fee is lower than the market — to help artists put as much of their profits in their pockets as possible, she said. For the time being, Christiansen said, Mercantile Plaza won’t be taking any new artists.
But she said they will as they expand and grow the business.
“We want to keep being able to take on new artists," she said. "The fact that, within six weeks time, we’ve got this place filled with art is unbelievable and shows how many people there are wanting to share their art.”
Hours for Mercantile Plaza
Sundays and Mondays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed Tuesday)
Fridays and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Contact Claudia Levens at clevens@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @levensc13
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Art gallery, gathering space Mercantile Plaza opens in Port Washington
