'The perfect spot:' Local couple to transform Brady St. Futons into vinyl listening lounge, art gallery, cafe

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- If you've walked along Brady Street over the last three decades, you'll probably recognize the navy blue sign hanging above the door that reads, "Brady Street Futons."

Owner Kurt Bauer decided to close shop late last month, after 31 years in business.

He previously told CBS 58 the move was "bittersweet."

"I'm going to miss this place. I'm going to miss Brady Street, but I am excited for the future," Bauer said in an interview on Feb. 27, 2024. 

But it left many in the area wondering -- what comes next?

The space on the corner of N. Franklin Place and E. Brady Street is the oldest retail building on the road, dating back to the 1870s.

The first known occupation was Sikorski's Tavern. After that, owners said it became a hardware store, a bike shop, a barber shop, and more.

Now, thanks to Kim Forbeck and her husband, Todd, it's putting on a new hat -- one that will share the family's love of music with the community.

"We wanted this concept somewhere, but when this building came up for sale, we knew this is the perfect spot," Forbeck told CBS 58's Ellie Nakamoto-White. 

That concept? What will soon be called "The Deep Groove" -- a space for a combined cafe, art gallery featuring works by local creators, and a vinyl listening lounge.

“Other recorded versions don’t have the extreme highs and lows that you get to hear in vinyl, so they can have that full experience of really hearing all of the parts of the music," Forbeck said. “The artists benefit from exposure and then the public benefits from more exposure to wonderful arts and music, and the culture around us.”

Their 25-year-old son, Henry, will work at the shop and help curate the playlists of the day.

"Jazz, blues, heavy metal, all sorts of things," Forbeck said. "We want everyone to come in and feel important."

Currently, there isn't an official opening date set, but the family is aiming for the middle of summer before the popular Brady Street Fest in July.

"Brady has such a rich culture of art and music," Forbeck said. “I think it’s such a vibrant arts and music scene, as well as food scene, and Brady is sort of iconic for all of those things, so it seemed like the perfect place to be.”