Von Maur gears up for spring opening

The roof of Wisconsin’s first Von Maur department store was topped off Wednesday with the company’s signature piece of architecture — cupolas.

Iowa-based Von Maur used the occasion of the installation — cupolas are domed gazebo-like structures affixed to the roof above the store's arching entryways — to let consumers know the grand opening of the high-end retailer is only five months away.

When it opens in April, Von Maur will be the anchor of The Corners of Brookfield retail and residential development, which is under construction along W. Blue Mound Road just east of S. Barker Road in the Town of Brookfield.

The development will include 400,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space and 244 apartments. The Von Maur store will cover 140,000 square feet.

The Von Maur at The Corners will be the merchant’s 32nd U.S. location.

Jim von Maur, fourth-generation president of the family owned company, said Von Maur has wanted to be in Wisconsin for a long time.

“It’s such a logical fit for us,” von Maur said. “It’s right in our back yard and it’s a sizable metro area that we feel is underserved. We’ve always felt like Milwaukee needed a Von Maur.”

Von Maur said the company needed the right location, and The Corners, which is just off Interstate 94, offers easy access to people from the metro area and other parts of Wisconsin. It also is the kind of development that appeals to Von Maur planners. He said it’s going to be “a really unique" shopping center.

“We like the lifestyle centers where there’s a mix of different things going on,” von Maur said. “You’ve got the retail there and the residential. We love the location.”

In addition to Von Maur, other announced tenants of the development include a 30,000-square-foot Sendik’s Food Market, Anthropologie, Arhaus, Anthony Vince’ Nail Spa, BelAir Cantina, Café Hollander, Evereve, Francesca’s, Free People, lululemon athletica, L.L. Bean, Paper Source, Scout and Molly’s and Twigs.

For those unfamiliar with Von Maur, it is a “better department store” that prides itself on service and the latest in fashion, von Maur said.

“We like to call ourselves a fashion department store because we focus on more of the fashionable end of the merchandise,” von Maur said. “We stay away from home goods and focus primarily on fashion, which is apparel, shoes and accessories, with a smaller gift department.”

He said Von Maur doesn’t have its own private label merchandise.

“We’re 100% branded,” he said. “You come into our store, you’re going to see all the brands you’re familiar with.”

Each Von Maur store features a live piano player — another of its signature elements. The Town of Brookfield’s will have one, too, von Maur said.

Von Maur will be the second high-end retailer to come to the metro Milwaukee area in less than two years. In fall of 2015, Nordstrom opened its first Wisconsin store at Mayfair mall.

Von Maur, headquartered in Davenport, Iowa, sells online as well from its stores in Iowa, Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio and Oklahoma. Von Maur said even at a time when more sales are migrating to the internet, brick-and-mortar stores still can thrive.

“You’ve got to offer an experience. There is convenience to being at home and shopping, but also, people are looking for something to do — to get out of the home and have a fun experience,” von Maur said. “And that’s what The Corners is going to offer. It’s not going to be like walking into an enclosed shopping center where they’re all pretty much the same. This will be a unique experience.”

He said Von Maur pays above-market rates for retail employees and is able to attract good ones as a result.

“We offer a shopping experience like no other in terms of the service and the environment in everything we do and the merchandise we carry,” von Maur said. “We make it enticing to leave your home and want to touch and feel the merchandise and be around people and interact with knowledgeable sales associates.”