PLOVER, Wis. — The Mission Coffee House moved into Artist & Fare about six months ago.

It’s a move owner Russ Ehlinger is excited about, even though at first look he wasn’t sure what to expect.

“The first thing that came to my mind when I came in here, I was looking at the space — it was just gutted and empty, there was nothing here — it was a little difficult to imagine,” Ehlinger said. “But then we were able to sit down and look at the blueprints of what was going to happen and there was just such a wow factor.”

For years, Artist & Fare was a Shopko store. The Wisconsin-based retailer went out of business in 2019, leaving scores of vacant stores across the state, region and nation.

But working cooperatively, developers, businesses and the Village of Plover transformed the building into something new.

“This is just really unique and it’s going to be such a draw to come and experience a new way to gather,” Ehlinger said.

Marc Buttera, owner of O’so Brewing Company, moved the business across the street into the repurposed building.

“The is the fun hub in Plover. Plover doesn’t really have a downtown,” he said. “This is kind of going to be Plover’s downtown.”

Buttera said Artist & Fare is a very different story than it could have been.

“I knew if they didn’t do something with this it was going to sit,” he said. “In Steven Point we’ve got a Wal-Mart sitting there. For this to spin around as quick as it did — and add some life back into this area — that’s pretty awesome.”

It took work.

Steve Kunst with the Village of Plover said its past experience with big box buildings meant they sat empty for years.

Not this time.

“We were very fearful,” he said about Shopko’s closing. “We were very lucky and fortunate a couple of local developers and entrepreneurs willing to take on a risk like this, and it’s paid off very quickly.”

He said the developers are working on a similar transformation project at the nearby vacant Younkers store.

Businesses are still moving in to Artist & Fare, from a salon to a restaurant and an axe-throwing operation.

Ehlinger said he expects the project to gain momentum.

“Even through there a lot of businesses here already, we’re really in the infant stages of what it’s going to be,” he said.