FOND DU LAC — Another year has come and gone in Fond du Lac, bringing business ups and downs and setting up new opportunities for 2024.
In 2023, Fond du Lac readers were most interested in remembering the past, welcoming more businesses and celebrating the prospect of new developments.
Here are 10 of the most-read business stories from the area in the past year.
More than 15 years of vacancy could soon be coming to an end now that the Home Depot property has plans to split into five retail spaces.
As of August, the 8.65-acre redevelopment site has been listed with Mid-America Real Estate-Wisconsin LLC as Corta Commons at Forest Plaza, and the the company was in talks with retailers to fill the spaces, according to Principal Mike Fitzgerald.
No updates have been provided since then.
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Another long-vacant property on Johnson Street — though this one was empty for nine years — was the Firestone Lot outside of the Forest Mall, and it will soon be a new Bank First location.
The bank announced the new location at the end of July, along with the news that the Sheboygan Street location would merge into the North Peters Avenue location in September in preparation for the new location.
Once the Johnson Street location opens, the North Peters Avenue location will merge into the new one.
The past year was a milestone for Tucker’s Hamburgers, celebrating 60 years in business just after welcoming its fourth generation of ownership.
Founder Rudy Sang opened the restaurant on Main Street under its original name of Tucker’s Toofers in November 1963 — the name was a reference to his daughter Barbara’s childhood nickname Tucker and the restaurant’s slogan that its signature hamburgers were “toofer 25 cents.”
Its official anniversary was in September, honoring the traditions and memories the restaurant has created for Fond du Lac.
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A new historical column looks back at businesses of Fond du Lac’s past, and the most-read so far has been the very first: remembering the Beer Hut drive-in on Scott Street.
The business, helmed a giant sign featuring a beer maid sitting on top of a keg, opened in 1933 and became famous for its food, carhop service and overall social atmosphere.
It was among the first drive-ins in Wisconsin and the first in the United States to serve beer, not long after the repeal of Prohibition.
Brooke Street Lofts opened for residency in November after Commonwealth Companies converted the old Northern Casket Company and Winnebago Cheese Factory into affordable housing, aided in funding by federal and state housing tax credits and a state grant.
The construction incorporated the original factory flooring, exposed bricks and other aspects of the factories into the design of the apartments and shared spaces.
Both buildings are registered as historic sites, with the Northern Casket Company finished in 1919 and the cheese factory in 1943.
The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Fond du Lac campus finished the fall 2023 semester in low spirits after the UW system announced in October the campus will close after the spring semester.
Students have some options for transferring after next semester, though none of them will be quite like Fond du Lac, which has been in the city since 1968. As such, many students have decided to stay involved in campus events and offerings for the final year, with some more involved now than before.
Some students, staff, faculty and alumni have also voiced their opposition to the decision, including through testimonials on student Matthew Caine’s letter to UW System President Jay Rothman, and a change.org petition against the closure, which, as of Jan. 2, has 186 signatures.
The Diner, 175 S. Main St., opened in early 2023, characterized with a casual and homey atmosphere straight out of the 1950s — which its predecessor Connie’s Diner had started. In addition to dishes that are generous with the butter, the diner has no Wi-Fi or televisions.
Owner Sandy Ritchie kept most aspects of the business the same as when it was Connie’s Diner, but added a little bit of her own personality and that of her waitstaff.
Another win for Johnson Street is the creation of a tax incremental district, TID No. 25, at Doty Street along Fives Giddings & Lewis, which will encompass the vacant parking lot and a few underutilized buildings to bring both housing and commercial developments to the area.
The district will increase the area’s tax base and fund development using the anticipated future tax revenue resulting from the new development for up to 24 years, at no financial risk to the city.
The housing would support downtown businesses and workforce attraction, and the resulting infrastructure improvements would connect the downtown area with the Brooke Street corridor.
Among internet conversations surrounding Fond du Lac’s reputation of having many car washes, Kwik Trips and pizza restaurants, we checked the numbers against Oshkosh and Appleton, taking into account each city’s population.
Fond du Lac has the most car washes and is tied with Oshkosh for Kwik Trips. However, Fond du Lac sweeps in all categories, including coffee shops, when it comes to volume per population.
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The most recent vacant big box store to get new life is the former T.J. Maxx, which is now a Planet Fitness, as of December.
Previously at 1083 E. Johnson St., the gym is known for maintaining a “Judgment Free Zone” and offering a variety of cardio and strength equipment and individual and small-group training sessions for two tiers of membership.
Daphne Lemke is the Streetwise reporter for the Fond du Lac Reporter. Contact her at [email protected].
Top-read Fond du Lac 2023 business news include developments, history – Fond du Lac Reporter
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