The Deep Groove, a vinyl listening lounge and bar, quietly slid open its doors at 1200 E. Brady St. on Thursday. The spot is in soft-launch mode for now, keeping limited hours while the owners fine-tune the room and lock in future programming, as reported by OnMilwaukee.
Inside, the place leans into a cozy jazz-era cocktail vibe, with pressed-tin ceilings overhead, a restored back bar and hardwood floors that were uncovered during renovations. The building, often referred to as the Sikorski Building and believed to date back to 1875, has a long history of retail and was once part of the Schlitz brewery network, according to OnMilwaukee.
Family Owners Turn Futon Shop Into Listening Room
The Deep Groove is very much a family affair. Co-owners Kim Forbeck and Todd Dunsirn bought the property after longtime tenant Brady Street Futons shut its doors in 2024, as reported by the Milwaukee Business Journal. Their son, Henry, is running the listening room and helped put together the high-end audio system that sits at the heart of the concept.
What To Hear And Drink
Programming will often zero in on a single genre, artist or festival, and the owners say guests may even be able to bring in a favorite record and have it spun on the house system, according to TMJ4. During the soft launch, the lounge is open Thursday through Sunday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. The owners say they plan to expand to daily hours and roll out morning coffee service down the line.
A Small But Growing Vinyl Scene
The Deep Groove joins a small but growing group of vinyl-centered listening rooms and cafes around Milwaukee, places that put sound quality and a shared listening experience front and center, as detailed by Milwaukee Magazine. The owners say they want their space to complement existing record shops by giving people a place to hear albums the way they were intended to be heard.
“I have been telling people we are upscale. We are not uptight,” manager Henry Dunsirn told TMJ4, emphasizing that the focus is on being a neighborhood hangout, not an exclusive club. The owners hope The Deep Groove will become a home for listening parties, workshops and small community events that keep Brady Street buzzing.
