Kohl's downtown Milwaukee store opens; ribbon cutting ceremony

Kohl's opened its downtown Milwaukee location on Friday, Nov. 3 -- and it was celebrated with a ribbon cutting. 

"There’s so much momentum happening in Milwaukee and I’m so pleased that Kohl’s is a part of the mix," said Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson.

Kohl's officially took over the old Boston Store space in downtown Milwaukee. The entire store is on the first floor of the Hub 640 building. The windows that have been vacant for five years are now filled with displays. 

Kohl's, downtown Milwaukee

"I used to decorate department store windows. That the first thing I noticed when I was going by," said Tony Lee, Kohl’s shopper.

Lee and his wife, Valerie, have lived in Milwaukee for more than five decades. They say they have seen it all.

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"Marshall Field's, Gimbles, all the stuff. We’ve seen it change," Valerie Lee said. 

To see a Wisconsin-based company come into the heart of the downtown… 

"It’s always good to see, the term ‘reclaiming things." It looks like it’s going to be profitable for them," Tony  said. 

The 35,000 square foot space created more than 60 new jobs. Even for the Kohl's CEO, it is a full-circle moment. 

"I grew up right here in the Milwaukee area and I started my retail career bagging groceries at Kohl’s food stores. So being able to open right here downtown is an incredible honor for me," said Tom Kingsbury, Kohl’s CEO.

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Beyond the beautiful storefront and holiday sales, shoppers like the Lees say they are just excited to see this space alive again. 

"Downtown has changed tremendously over the years. This is a pleasure to see it coming back to life," Valerie said. 

There are three entrances to the store – the entrance on Wisconsin Avenue, and entrance from the 3rd Street Market Hall, and from the elevator that leads to the parking structure on Vel Phillips Avenue.

Officials say the store is filled with an assortment of merchandise to fit the needs of the downtown shopper. There will be a localized assortment of Milwaukee products from brands, Milwaukee Home (drinkware, holiday ornaments, pet, and accessories) and Home by Homefield (apparel including tees and hoodies)  Conveniences include self-pick up, self-checkout and Amazon Returns.