Riverwest salon forced to relocate this month after 20+ years in business

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — KRS Hair & Wax Studio has been a mainstay on Locust Street for almost 21 years; now, changes to building ownership, rising rent, and a fast-approaching deadline have left the owners in limbo.

"We've raised our children here and became embedded in the community here," said Kimberly Carver-Wilder, the owner and house esthetician.

When she and her husband, Chris Wilder, opened the salon in 2005, they fostered new energy and diversity in Riverwest.

"Chris is able to do any kind of hair, any texture of hair, and I'm able to do any kind of skin, and that was important," Carver-Wilder said. "Riverwest spoke to our abilities and what we wanted to serve."

As their clientele grew, so did their space, expanding next-door, and even adding a cocktail lounge.

"It is the "Cheers' of beauty salons," she laughed.

But an unexpected change came this February, when the building was sold to a new property owner.

"We knew it was for sale," Carver-Wilder said. "We were not in a lease, so we were in kind of a month-to-month holdover."

They expected a new lease and a potential rent hike. Then last month, they received a jarring email.

"The rent was going to increase dramatically. And when I say dramatically, I mean like, he tripled our rent," explained Carver-Wilder.

At the time, Wider said the increase was listed for May 1, giving them only two weeks to make a tough choice.

"We told him that we were not going to carry on," she said. "We asked for six months to relocate our business and get our affairs in order, and they responded by giving us 30 days to move 20 years' worth of things out of the space.

CBS 58 was at the salon on Friday, May 8, when a postal worker delivered the Wilder's a notice of rental termination, listing their mandatory move-out date as May 31: the same day as the Locust Street Festival.

"For many, many years, we've used the Locust Street Festival as our customer appreciation party," Carver-Wilder said.

The community celebration they look forward to every year quickly became daunting.

"Where do you put a 25-foot trailer? A moving truck? It's impossible. You can't do it," said Chris Wilder.

They have asked the ownership company for some sort of extension but have not had one approved.

"At this point, we just need time. We're ready to leave; we just need time," Wilder said.

"I don't know if we're ready to leave, but we're willing to leave," his wife added.

Though the 30-day notice is legal, it has left the Wilders scrambling.

"Even though you can do something, doesn't mean you should do something," Carver-Wilder said. "There is a way to handle things, especially with people who have been so embedded into the community."

As they start packing, they want everyone to know that KRS plans to stay in the neighborhood.

"We've got to figure out a Riverwest location, or Riverwest-adjacent," said Carver-Wilder.

Their biggest ask to the community is for help with the move - that means anything from extra boxes to extra hands, and especially, anyone who is able to provide storage space.

The Wilders are working on setting to set up an online sign-up for willing volunteers.

You can find updates on the KRS Hair & Wax Studio Instagram page.

CBS 58 reached out to the new property management company, listed on the notices as Melgue LLC., with no response as of Friday afternoon.