GREEN BAY, Wis. — Brittany Paulsen and her fiancé are in the midst of transforming a former retail space in downtown Green Bay into a wedding and event venue.
There are still months of work ahead to finish what they’re naming Green Bay City Club. They plan to be open for tours and possibly some events by late summer.
“We’ll have the brick all cleaned up. Beautiful brand new reclaimed-hardwood flooring. Gorgeous chandeliers,” she said while looking around unfinished space. “It’ll be this elevated space that is meeting this modern elegance with this rustic warehouse feel that the building is giving to us.”
A Green Bay native, Paulsen moved back from Minneapolis in 2020 during the pandemic and took ownership of the building. It includes a fully finished living space upstairs, which will be part of the club’s offering to guests.
“This is a really cool property that’s in a really cool developing neighborhood,” Paulsen said. “There’s so much going on with the public market, Resch Square and new housing. At the same time, you also have some of the best food in Green Bay steps from our doorstep. It just made sense to have this as an assembly space. Something for events, weddings, concerts, because of the ties to the neighborhood.”
Most downtown areas throughout Wisconsin are still feeling some of the impact from the pandemic. But they are central areas that most people and businesses still want to be.
While some workers and businesses have left downtown areas, work is being done to bring new attractions in.
In Green Bay, that includes converting an office building into the Green Bay public market, a food and event-focused space. It will be known as Resch Square.
Brian Johnson is the executive director of On Broadway Inc., a nonprofit organization working to promote and revitalize the historic district of the city’s downtown.
“That was a big concern for a lot of downtowns across the country. How do you regain activation, foot traffic and people who are patronizing businesses?” he said. “We’ve seen a really, really strong recovery. We’re continuing to push as we approach those pre-pandemic numbers.”
Johnson said there are key indicators that show people still want to be in downtowns.
“We look at residential as an indicator of whether or not people want to be downtown. We are 100% occupied. Apartments become available and they’re filled immediately,” he said. “We have 1,000 units that are either proposed or under construction just in the Broadway District alone. We’re seeing the demand. People want to be down here. They want to be close to activity. They want to live in walkable communities.”
Some new businesses are also specifically seeking downtown locations.
Bri Renquin opened Lark & Lace beauty salon in November, moving from a location in Howard.
“I wanted a central location for my clients because they come from all over the place,” she said. “I definitely wanted to have a big storefront on a busier street just for exposure for the salon.”
It took Renquin a while to find just the right location in a real estate market that was a little tighter than she expected.
“I looked for months before I finally settled and found a place,” she said.
Paulsen said she hopes to connect with other downtown business owners and positively impact the entire area with her new venture.
“One of the ideas for this place is we would rent out the upstairs apartment with it for an entire weekend experience,” she said. “Not only does that bring 150 to 200 people for the actual main event, the wedding, but it might bring people down here for Thursday nights to go see some live music down the street or take the pedal tavern around or the Foxy Paddler. Maybe go grab food at Amphora or Chefusion, White Dog or any of the great restaurants that are on Broadway here.”
