Ald. Coggs meets with small business owners during district walk-through

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- What will it take for businesses to succeed in Milwaukee? 

Alderwoman Milele Coggs went out looking for answers Thursday.

She took a walk in her north side district, stopping at several small businesses and talking to owners.

"So, January is like the absolute worst for bakeries, period, cause everybody's on a diet, right?" laughed Adija Greer-Smith, owner of Confectionately Yours, a bakery and cafe on Martin Luther King Drive.

She and Ald. Coggs talked about the struggles she and other owners face.

One of the biggest issues is pretty obvious -- the cost of doing business.

"As a bakery alone, I probably go through 30 dozen eggs a week," Greer-Smith said. "Sometimes that used to cost me $30. Now it costs me $140."

"From small businesses to big businesses, I think people are struggling with being able to attract and maintain quality staff, and as a result, having to look toward increasing salaries," said Ald. Coggs. 

Milele Coggs says a business walk like she took Thursday helps her learn what new policies the Common Council should advocate for and what existing resources she can make sure owners know are available to them.