Bay View claims ones of the largest and most eclectic bar scenes in Milwaukee, with at least half a dozen great beer bars; countless comfy dive bars and corner taps; several destination cocktail lounges; a prime punk venue; a hidden, Jimmy Buffett-esque escape on the river and at least a couple places that look like the set of an Avett Brothers video shoot.
If there’s one kind of bar the neighborhood lacks, though, it’s bars with a downtown atmosphere, the type of place where patrons dress to be seen and don’t expect $2 PBR specials. That could change later this month when a new bar called Revel opens at 2246 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., in the site of the former Studio Lounge. The bar has set a soft launch target for the end of May, with plans for an official grand opening shortly after.
It’s unclear what kind of music the bar will host. Owner Sean Pliss tells the Shepherd that hasn't been determined yet, but the lounge may host “acoustic groups or perhaps an occasional DJ to play crowd favorites.” Only hosting “an occasional DJ” would mark a shift from Pliss’s other bar, Oak Lounge in the Third Ward, which just celebrated its third year and draws big crowds with DJs most weekend nights. It's unlikely Bay View would allow for that kind of entertainment calendar—the neighborhood is notoriously weary of noise, traffic or anything that might result in a single extra parking space being taken, and Pliss is pitching Revel as something a little more low-key than its sister business.
“Our concept is pretty simple: socialization,” Pliss says. “The way the entire bar is set up will be to encourage groups of people to interact with not only their group of friends but other groups as well. We're creating communal seating areas that essentially join everyone together if they choose or they can be on their own. We will offer great cocktails with a vast beer selection, friendly staff, and last but not least we will also offer hookah.”
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As part of its remodel of the former Studio Lounge space, the bar will add large bi-fold windows to the front of the building that will open up to sidewalk patio seating on Kinnickinnic. Hours of operation haven’t been set yet, but Pliss hopes to be open seven days a week.
Pliss stresses that the bar will not be Oak, and that the overall feel will be more casual and neighborhood-oriented than his other bar. "The idea behind the bar is the communal seating, and I can't have loud music at the bar if I'm trying to promote socialization," he says. "They don't go hand in hand. So what I'm trying to do here is in some ways the opposite of what Oak is." But even with the shift in focus, the bar promises to bring a little bit of a downtown feel to the neighborhood.
“While Revel will be a completely different concept [from Oak], we will carry over our core operational and marketing strategies that helped build our foundation and reputation in the Third Ward,” Pliss says.
