What’s New in Racine?

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Photo by Jenny Maurer

The New Cafe in Racine

The new Cafe's storefront in Racine

Racine has been on the upswing this past year as many new restaurateurs and entrepreneurs have begun to share their passions with their neighbors. Whether one is looking for a couch to upholster or a brunch place for your book club to meet, these new businesses have what you’re looking for.

Downtown

The retail activity of downtown Racine has ebbed and flowed over this past decade, but there’s been a slow surge in new stores during the past two years. In addition to the Vintage and Modern Book Store, two craft stores have opened. The first is Stitched (505 Sixth St.), opening in November 2025. This very cozy sewing store offers tools and fabric materials for quilting, stitching and other fabric craft hobbies. Stitched also offers classes that can be taken online and in the store itself. The interior of the building provides space for classes in the back room, measuring tables, and a circle of soft chairs available for visiting or people watching. Stitched is open Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m, Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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Photo by Jenny Maurer

Uraveled in Racine

Unraveled in Racine

Stitched also has an older sibling store, UnRaveled, which opened in August 2024. Located at 614 Sixth Street, almost diagonally across from Stitched, this store is primarily focused on yarn related crafts such as knitting and macramé.  UnRaveled has a general store and workshop-like structure; rows of shelves featuring various yarn of different textures and colors surround the counter which displays business cards, flyers and small knitting kits. The store even has a mascot: an elderly-friendly Boston terrier named Beans. They also offer clubs such as the Early Bird Fiber club held every second and fourth Monday and the Fiber Art Happy hour held the first and third Thursday each month. UnRaveled is open Mondays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Thursdays from noon to 8 p.m., Fridays from noon to 4 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The culinary scene in Racine has also had a journey over the past two years: international cuisine restaurant Nemo and Fogg opened and then rapidly closed while Nigerian influenced Vero has long been temporarily closed due to an upstairs fire. However, there’s also been renewal with places such as The New Café opening on populated corners. With its debut in July 2025, The New Café (600 Main St.) is a cozy brunch and bar eatery with cuisine inspired by Mexican and French dishes. According to the Racine County Eye, New Café owner Alan Lorzano created the menu as a tribute to his extended family and their history of cooking.

While the menu contains traditional fare like open face bagels topped with smoked salmon and bacon lettuce and tomato sandwiches, there are also items such as the sunrise burrito (containing scrambled eggs, chorizo, and poblano peppers) and crepes, both sweet (banana and nutella dream) and savory (avocado and queso). The most popular item is the chilaquiles bowl, a take on the traditional Mexican breakfast dish containing eggs, cilantro avocado and a choice of red or green salsa. The restaurant has recently extended to serving dinner Thursdays through Saturdays and Mondays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Portions are large and prices are in the $12 and up range. New Café’s brunch and lunch hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays and weekends.

West Racine

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Photo by Jenny Maurer

Racine's Habitat for Humanity ReStore

Racine's Habitat for Humanity ReStore

Business is also booming in parts of West Racine. After 20 years of lying dormant, the former location of the old Piggly Wiggly (1101 Grove Ave.) has become home to a Habitat for Humanity ReStore shop. Since opening in January of last year, the vast store has provided a resource for furniture rehabilitators and young apartment owners alike. The structure is both industrial and welcoming with the majority of space being occupied by an array of couches, dressers and tables waiting to be reupholstered or welcomed into a new apartment.

For the casual browser who may just need a few accessories, there’s a giant collection of cups, board games and home media along the right entrance wall. As for the handyperson part of the store’s demographic, they are bound to be enthused by the row of baskets right past the check-out counter which are filled with building supplies and hardware materials such as doorknobs, hinges and various spouts.

The store also supports the art of Zion Illinois’ Trust Rusty Birdhouse Company, displaying their elaborate birdhouses made out of recycled door knobs, spare parts, old lamps, and other materials right next to the check-out counter. Best of all, the profits sold from these products are donated back to the charity itself. The Habitat for Humanity Restore Shop is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  For more information, please visit www.habitat.org/restores

Two blocks away from the Restore shop and to the right on 3314 Washington Avenue, you will find the newest bookstore conveniently located near the long running beloved Wilson’s coffee shop. Arnett & Sons Books was opened in October 2025 by a former English teacher who, according to the Racine Journal Times, had previously owned a bookstore in St Louis Missouri. Unlike Vintage and Modern Books’ emphasis on fantasy and sci fi, Arnett & Sons doesn’t promote one genre, rather the goal of the store is to promote variety and connect people with books. This is evident when a customer first enters the store: to the right on the counter, there’s numerous piles of books waiting to be priced and categorized.  This should invoke a sense of curiosity as there is much to explore.

The shelves are full of old and new books with even more books laying prone on top of the rows, labeled under a variety of categories such as conspiracy theories, books about books and Japanese history. These displays are juxtaposed by the center of the store which hosts a set of comfy chairs and a cat playground for their elusive mascot, creating an oasis of calm among the construction. Arnett & Sons is slowly but surely coming along; they recently made good use of the downstairs meeting space to host a poetry reading and book club gathering during the winter months. It’s messy at first glance, but there’s a lot to explore and it deserves support. Arnett & Sons is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Tuesdays through Saturdays. West Racine.

Uptown

The final stop for this article takes us to Uptown Racine—a still developing part of town that has a passionate arts community. For instance, Washington Avenue’s The Branch, a former bank turned event space and gallery, is a hugely popular spot for exhibitions, fundraisers and artist workshops. This is thanks to their relationship with Artroot Racine, a collective of artists and art patrons who hope to revitalize Racine through new programs and funding. This has led to programs such as the Wall Poems of Racine which take passage from poems of notable Southeast Wisconsin Poets and pairs them with an elaborate wall mural from different artists. There’s also the writer-in-residence program where a chosen writer, whether a poet laureate of Wisconsin or a known local artist, blogs about any topic of their choosing for six months. On the Uptown Racine culinary front, the area is modest but well attended with places such as the Middle Eastern eatery Kebab and Grill and South American restaurant Don Arepas being the biggest hits.

The newest kid on the block is Bigg Boyz Kitchen, a Southern cuisine restaurant (1327 Washington Ave.). Opened in December 2025, this restaurant has roots in soul food and the church, having aided church organizations such as The Shalom Center of Interfaith and Restoration Ministries with providing Christmas dinners for needy families over the holidays. The influence of soul and churches is abundant when entering the restaurant: the poppy sounds of contemporary church soul music float against the walls that are painted with a bright’60s orange and adorned with large metal sequins. The metal chairs and tables have a blue-collar diner feel and the cafeteria buffet display at the counter adds to that feel.  

The menu has all the hallmarks of Southern soul food cuisine such as fried chicken, sweet potatoes and catfish with the most popular item being the macaroni and cheese. It’s a small, quiet place with more takeouts than sit down patrons, but they make a quality breaded pork chop and deserve a visit. The Bigg Boyz kitchen is open Wednesdays through Fridays from noon to 8 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sundays. Visit biggboyzkitchen.com for more information.

Racine is a 292-year-old city and holds many still unexplored nooks and crannies. It is a city that has ebbed and flowed, but one value Racine has maintained is the importance of sharing with the community. The new business discussed above all began with the dream of sharing their passions, talents and themselves with their neighbors. They exemplify the spirit of our wonderful Racine community where all are welcome to share these dreams and experience the positive and generous attitudes of these entrepreneurs.