Downtown South Milwaukee is swapping dark display windows for dinner service and vinyl spins, as two entrepreneurs land a year of free rent through the city’s Space Race pitch contest.
GNOME Restaurant and Seven Bridges Record Lounge will fill long‑vacant storefronts on the 1000 block of Milwaukee Avenue, with GNOME slated for 1009 Milwaukee Ave and Seven Bridges moving into 1003 Milwaukee Ave. Both teams are aiming for a May 7, 2026 opening date once renovations wrap up.
The city announced the winners last Friday, noting that each business "will receive one year of storefront rent to bring their vision to life downtown," and adding, "Renovations start soon… doors will open after the transformation." According to the City of South Milwaukee, the prize is designed to turn empty windows into active storefronts on the block.
As reported by the Milwaukee Business Journal, the winners could open on May 7, 2026. The pitch competition was organized as part of a University of Wisconsin‑Whitewater project focused on local economic growth and entrepreneurship.
How the Space Race Worked
The contest leaned on University of Wisconsin‑Whitewater Enactus students and faculty, who helped run workshops and sharpen business plans. City materials say more than 20 entrepreneurs attended those sessions and nine teams ultimately submitted pitches.
According to South Milwaukee's 2025 economic development report, the Space Race prize package, funded in part by the Bucyrus Foundation, covers a year of storefront rent along with additional support intended to speed up renovations and get doors open sooner rather than later.
Funding and Downtown Context
City officials have repeatedly pointed to vacant storefronts as a drag on downtown’s momentum. The 2025 economic development report estimates that a typical 1,800‑square‑foot vacant storefront with apartments above can cost a community about $133,000 a year in lost economic activity.
The Space Race winners arrive as larger projects are lining up, including a multi‑million‑dollar redevelopment of the former Bucyrus campus that is expected to bring more residents and customers into the area.
What Comes Next
Both GNOME and Seven Bridges are set to begin renovations in the coming weeks, working with the city on permits and building upgrades before opening day. In the meantime, they will use the year of free rent and technical support to build out their spaces, hire staff and stoke some local buzz around what city leaders hope will become fresh downtown destinations.
