November 26, 2007

Downtown Dreaming: A list of properties available on Main and Sixth streets

Looking to buy or lease some space in Downtown Racine? You have plenty of options. There are at least 14 properties we found listed on Main and Sixth streets, plus the former YWCA building on College Ave.

Here's each of the buildings, a quick recap and my dream use for each ... add your own dream uses in the comments, if you'd like.

740 College Ave.
- The soon-to-be former YWCA building at $650,000, which seems like a bargain ... and a white elephant. Dream use: Center for alternatives to incarceration programs to balance out the jail a few blocks away.

237 Main St. - Used to be the home of Inside Out, until they moved up the street. Dream use: Mainstream comes back and reopens a great little music store.

240 Main St. - This block is in for changes. Inside Out across the street is gone, the Flowers & Company building is for sale and Red Onion is leaving to move into the Johnson Bank building. Dream use: Flowers & Company stays and expands next door.

302 Main St. - The Main Street General Store's building is for sale with a list price of $249,900. It's a handsome building and the price seems good. Dream use: RacinePost's Main St. office.

410 Main St. - Gigantic building (17,000 square-feet) next to Dimples. Used to be filled with junk until the city took it and made it look nice. But who wants something so big? Dream use: Cool apartments on the top floors, Gap-like clothes store on the first floor.

422 Main St. - Nearly 5,000 square feet located next door to JavaVino (which is a selling point in our book). Dream use: Fully stocked magazine and newspaper stand (we're dreaming, right?)

223 Sixth St. - This corner building at Sixth and Wisconsin seems to have potential. Who's going to make something work here? Dream use: A salon seemed like a good idea here.

300 Sixth St. - The cheese cake store just moved in here, which should be reason enough to buy! Dream use: Keep the cheese cakes flowing...

310 Sixth St. - Another cozy building just waiting for a cozy business. Dream use: RacinePost's Sixth Street office.

500 Sixth St. - You'll need almost a $1 million to buy this 19,100 square-foot beauty. Let's hope the Salsa Club takes off on the first level. Dream use: Dancing with the Stars...

507 Sixth St. - Lovely building tucked into Sixth Street. The rebuilt road will help, but in the short term it seems it'll be tough to get anyone to move into the Sixth Street spaces. Dream use: Painting studio.

515 Sixth St. - Wilbur's BBQ. Hopefully a sale won't affect this fine restaurant. Dream use: Mmmm... BBQ...

522 6th St. - Former Historic Century Market. Another beautiful white elephant. The heating bills alone would be out of most people's price range. Dream use: Gigantic pinball arcade and other fun games... and/or a smoke-free microbrew and live-music venue

613 6th St. - Remington May Workshop Gallery. A beautiful building, but the owner decided it was time to follow her muse to Michigan. Dream use: Racine gift shop... we could use one of those.

618 Sixth St. - Apologies for saying so, but this is a strange building. Hopefully the new owners will think about some windows. Dream use: Let's get a music store back Downtown...

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