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Address
8909 N Port Washington Rd, Suite 106
Bayside, WI 53217 -
Shar Borg Team
On Sunday, Nov. 29, the Sheboygan Jaycees' 34th Annual Holiday Parade steps off at 5 p.m. from Center Avenue and 7th Street. It heads north on 7th to Erie Avenue, turns west to 8th Street, then runs south on 8th to Mead Public Library for the tree lighting. Along those last few blocks of North Eighth, the parade passes two storefronts that weren't open a year ago.
Both opened this fall, and both are built around hours the street hasn't always had. One is an arcade that opens at 1 p.m. on weekdays. The other is a wine and book bar that stays open until 11 p.m. most nights. With the Weill Center between them, still mid-expansion and running a full holiday season, North Eighth now covers most of the day. That matters more in November than in July, when the lakefront does most of the work.
Here are the two newcomers' posted schedules, from the Sheboygan Press and the Sheboygan Sun:
| Claw Lounge, 931 N. Eighth St. | Iris Wine & Books, 1125 N. 8th St. | |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 1 to 8 p.m. | 3 to 11 p.m. |
| Tuesday | 1 to 8 p.m. | Closed |
| Wednesday and Thursday | 1 to 8 p.m. | 3 to 11 p.m. |
| Friday | 1 to 9 p.m. | 3 to 11 p.m. |
| Saturday | 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. |
| Sunday | 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. | 1 to 9 p.m. |
On a Saturday, the two blocks are covered from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. On weeknights, the arcade has a two-hour head start, and the wine bar keeps going for two or three hours after the arcade closes, so between them the two blocks stay open from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday is the one day only the arcade is open.
Married couple Mai See Yang and Kennedy Song opened Claw Lounge after a family trip to Japan, taken to celebrate their oldest daughter's high school graduation, where they saw claw machines everywhere. According to the Sheboygan Press, the couple wants the arcade to give kids and teenagers a place to hang out downtown.
There are more than 50 machines. Some are classic claw grabs. Others use the claw to shake dice in a plastic container, lift a large foam die, or drop colored balls onto a matching spot on a wheel. A few cost more coins but guarantee a win. Players usually trade a dollar for each coin, and prizes run from stuffed animals and trading cards to squishy toys. Smaller wins can be traded up for bigger prizes, such as a Lego set. There is also an event space for parties, which is useful to know before the next birthday that falls in a cold month.
The grand opening was Oct. 3, so the arcade is about a month old as November begins.
Two blocks north, Iris Wine & Books opened Friday, Sept. 18. It is run by a partnership of Jenny, Rebecca and Matt, who serve wine and mocktails in a room meant for staying a while. Matt told the Sheboygan Sun, "It feels kind of like walking into somebody's home for a cocktail party."
The books are a real part of the business. Iris stocks books and merchandise from WordHaven BookHouse for sale, and it also runs its own lending library from an actual card catalog. You can check books out, take them home and bring them back. Each return earns a stamp, and every fifth stamp earns a glass of wine. The partners also sponsored the Sheboygan Film Festival, which opened at the Weill Center on Oct. 1.
The 11 p.m. close is what changes the street. Iris is somewhere to go after a show at the Weill Center, a few blocks south, once dinner is over.
The Stefanie H. Weill Center for the Performing Arts, at 826 N. 8th St., is partway through a $13 million expansion. The Sheboygan Press reported in January that the first phase was slated to finish by early 2027, a slight delay from the original timeline. At that point, $8 million of a $10 million fundraising goal for the first phase had been raised. A Press photo gallery in late July still described the theater as in the middle of the project. Early 2027 is a target, and the holiday season will play out next to an active project.
Just south of the theater, 810 N. 8th St. is the open question on the corridor. In January, the Sheboygan Press reported that Fifth Generation Properties, affiliated with Jos. Schmitt Construction, was asking for ideas and potential partners for the building's first- and second-floor space. With the Weill expansion on one side and the new businesses a block or two north, it is the address to watch on this stretch over the next year.
The expansion hasn't stopped the Weill Center's season, and most of the holiday calendar sits within walking distance of the two new storefronts. Here is the run from publication day through mid-December:
Laid against the hours table, several of these dates line up with the new storefronts. Shop Small Business Saturday falls on a day when both Claw Lounge and Iris open at 11 a.m. The Dec. 12 Messiah lets out with Iris open until 11. Reindeer Games ends at noon, an hour after Claw Lounge opens for the day.
The route runs south on 8th Street to the library, so on its way to the tree lighting it passes Iris in the 1100 block, then Claw Lounge at 931. Next comes the Weill Center at 826, with the expansion still going up around it, and then 810, the building that was looking for new uses in January. This year's theme is "All-American Christmas," marking the country's 250th anniversary, and the parade is presented with WOMT.
The parade starts at 5 p.m. on a Sunday. On Sundays, Claw Lounge's posted hours run to 8 p.m. and Iris's to 9 p.m., so both should still be open when the tree is lit.
The Shar Borg Team follows the changes on corridors like North Eighth, including the theater expansion, the space at 810 and the new businesses setting the street's hours. If you own nearby and want to know how these changes could affect the timing or presentation of a future sale, request a complimentary concierge consultation.
Address
8909 N Port Washington Rd, Suite 106
Bayside, WI 53217
Shar Borg Team