New apartments, laser engravings and arepas

A historic building gets a new purpose. A former bank could be bought. New restaurants open. And a local business hopes to expand.

This week’s Streetwise newsletter covers a variety of business topics. Let’s dive in.

Sheboygan Press building was once home of local newspaper. Now, it’s apartments.

The Press Apartments are now open for leasing. There are 28 rental units and several amenities, like community spaces, a golf simulator and a fitness room.

Redevelopment aspirations for the building on Center Avenue, which formerly housed the Sheboygan Press, began in 2020 with former owners of Grace Capital Group. They first envisioned turning the building into office or retail spaces, but eventually decided on residential use.

Some members of the Sheboygan Press toured the apartment building last week. Take a look inside the Press Apartments and learn more about the space in this recent story .

Laser engraving business takes off. Plus, a Plymouth eatery expands to Sheboygan and a Venezuelan restaurant opens.

• Wells Fargo purchase: The city is pursuing the purchase of the Wells Fargo branch in downtown Sheboygan, which closed in fall 2023. The building could be bought for $1.7 million, according to sale agreement.
• New business custom engraves golf courses: Andy Bartell, now in a larger production space, hopes to grow his business, On Par Engraving. He makes custom laser-engraved golf course artwork, a passion he transformed into a business during the pandemic.
• New Venezuelan restaurant opens: A new Venezuelan restaurant, Arepa House, opened in the former Nicky’s Pizza spot on Calumet Drive. The pizza place closed in February.
• Chester’s opens downtown: The long-awaited Chester’s location opened in Sheboygan. The permanent food trailer, Chester’s Waterfront, has a limited menu and will follow the operating schedule of Blast Soft Serve.

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Are there business stories you’re wondering about? Or, a locally made good you’d like to know more about? Please, send them my way! You can reach me at agarner@gannett.com . If you got this email from a friend or colleague, sign up for this newsletter so you don't miss the next issue.

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Who’s Streetwise?

Me! I’m Alex Garner, the business reporter with the Sheboygan Press. I cover new businesses, closings and openings, ongoing developments and anything else business related.

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This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: New apartments, laser engravings and arepas