The Polish Flat: Riverwest's Emporium for Antique and Vintage Treasures

Carrying items that the owners would own or wear themselves instills The Polish Flat with a charming sense of intentionality that sets it apart from other antique stores.

by

Her Story

The Polish Flat (2974 N. Fratney St.) is Riverwest’s new emporium for antiques, trinkets and found treasures. Owners Gigi Kliesmet and Celeste Carroll curate their shop with artwork, decor, vintage clothing, jewelry, kitchenware, books, miniatures, figurines and other curios they find at estate sales, thrift stores and flea markets. “We look for things that are handmade, over 20 years old and not made from synthetic material,” Kliesmet explains, while Carroll contends, “I like to think these are things that I would like for myself and my own home, or that ignite curiosity and have a story behind them.”

Carrying items that Kliesmet and Carroll would own or wear themselves instills The Polish Flat with a charming sense of intentionality that sets it apart from other antique stores. The two strive to keep things price accessible as well as “curiously uncurated” in order to remain approachable and unintimidating. Additionally, while size-inclusive vintage clothing is often limited elsewhere, The Polish Flat prioritizes having such options in stock. “We’re both size 14, so we have clothes where people come in and say they don’t see a lot of other places having diverse sizing,” Carroll observes.

When asked if they are lifelong antique aficionados, Kliesmet and Carroll both responded with a resounding “yeah.” In fact, they first met in 2023 at Art Bar’s Great Riverwest Rummage Sale. “We both grew up in old homes and come from families with deep Milwaukee roots,” Carroll notes. “We both love old history and are big time collectors.”

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Mutual Passions

The two’s similar backgrounds as well as mutual passions and hobbies inclined Kliesmet and Carroll to start vending their combined antique and vintage collections at community events around Riverwest. “We started with just posting to our friends on Instagram, and then we did the Riverwest Rummage Sale,” Kliesmet recalls. “We fell in love with interacting with customers and curating together.”

Carroll adds, “We saw a gap in affordable and accessible resale, and then I had a friend who ended up finding this place, and it ended up feeling like the perfect place in a central, walkable area to open up something.”

Opening their brick-and-mortar in December 2024, Kliesmet and Carroll named The Polish Flat to represent the historic style of Riverwest home. “My grandpa grew up in a Polish Flat in Riverwest, and so did Celeste’s,” Kliesmet says. Piggybacking off that, Carroll reckons, “It really speaks to the resourcefulness of people, especially immigrants with big families who worked with other families in their community to build a house beneath another house by raising the first house up. It’s a testament to peoples’ creativity, especially in Milwaukee and the Midwest.”

Built in 1910, The Polish Flat’s building had housed a butcher shop in the 1930s. A woman whose family owned the shop came across the new antiquery on Facebook and snail mailed Kliesmet and Carroll a handwritten letter where the woman reminisced about her early memories there as a child. That letter is now framed and on display near the checkout counter. “She came and visited us and was so happy to see that there’s still a business in the space,” Kliesmet mentions. “She’s really sweet, and now we’re pen pals.”

In-Person Sales

Instagram is the best way to keep up with the monthly pop-ups.

In addition to its ever-changing collection of tchotchkes and knick-knacks, The Polish Flat carries locally made baked goods from Rise by Rose. Carroll, an artist herself, has a selection of original prints and illustrations for sale.

Kliesmet and Carroll continue to vend with The Polish Flat at the Great Riverwest Rummage Sale, where they first crossed paths. They occasionally host specialty events at The Polish Flat as well. An illustration-astrology workshop with Aly Miller and Elizabeth Bogart, a Valentine’s Day craft night fundraiser for Voces de la Frontera and a tintype photography pop-up with Amber Ascher have been a few so far. “We want to be a place where people can just come and hang out,” Carroll says. “You can drop in with your dog and say hi.”

Last July, The Polish Flat coordinated Blueberry Fest in collaboration with fellow Riverwest businesses Ebb & Flow Design Co., Seven Swans Creperie and Eucalyptus & Company. In a similar vein to Cedarburg’s Strawberry Festival, Blueberry Fest celebrates the beloved berry with a community street party featuring local artists, vintage vendors, live music, photo ops, family-friendly activities and lots of blueberry-flavored food and beverages. The fest returns this year on Saturday, July 18.