Community Warehouse to open North Ave. store

Nonprofit expands to north side due to racial divides

A nonprofit group that sells home and facility improvement supplies has purchased a building on Milwaukee’s north side for its second store.

Community Warehouse Inc. bought the 19,000-square-foot building, 324-332 W. North Ave., from Mercantile Thrift Stores Inc. for $605,000, according to state real estate records posted Tuesday.

The building housed a Value Village discount store until it recently closed. The new Community Warehouse will open in mid-spring.

Community Warehouse sells building improvement materials at discounted prices to homeowners and nonprofit organizations in Milwaukee’s central city.

The materials are donated to Community Warehouse by builders, retailers, distributors, manufacturers and other organizations.

The faith-based group focuses on Milwaukee’s designated community development block grant zone. It is bordered roughly by W. Silver Spring Drive, W. Cleveland Ave., 1st St. and 60th St.

Community Warehouse opened its first store in 2005. It is located in a redeveloped former tannery at 521 S. 9th St., in the Menomonee Valley, and includes warehouse space.

The group is expanding to the north side in part because of Milwaukee’s racial divisions, said Nick Ringger, Community Warehouse chief executive officer.

“A lot of people on the north side won’t come down to the south side to take advantage of our services,” Ringger said.

Also, the new store will be near such Bronzeville neighborhood developments as the new Pete’s Fruit Market, under construction at 2349 N. King Drive, and the future America’s Block Holocaust Museum and apartments, to be built in the 400 block of W. North Ave.

“We’re excited about what’s happening in Bronzeville,” Ringger said.

The group, which employs former House of Corrections inmates and other people with background challenges, hopes to work with city efforts to renovate central city homes, he said.

Community Warehouse raised funds to buy the property in part by working with Chicago-based IFF, which provides real estate loans to nonprofit groups.