Bublr Bikes moving to Grand Avenue

Nonprofit to be first new tenant in mall revitalization

Bublr Bikes will move its headquarters and bicycle maintenance facility to the Grand Avenue, becoming the first new tenant in that underused mall’s redevelopment.

Bublr, a nonprofit group that operates a local bike sharing network, is leasing over 6,275 square feet in the Grand Avenue.

That will include the group’s offices, a facility to maintain its fleet of bikes and a customer service counter offering walk-in assistance, system passes and Bublr merchandise, it was announced Thursday.

The new location is close to the main Wisconsin Ave. entrance and next to Boston Store. The ground-floor space most recently housed a jewelry accessories store, and previously had a national record-store chain.

A new Bublr kiosk will be installed outside the Grand Avenue entrance, 275 W. Wisconsin Ave., this year. A mini Bublr station may be installed inside the building itself, immediately outside the group’s offices.

“With our new offices in the Grand Avenue, we will be close to customers, near potential bike-maintenance workers and at the center of our growing regional network in an area that is a gathering place and connector for all Milwaukeeans,” James Davies, Bublr’s acting executive director, said in a statement.

“We’re also proud that we will be an anchor tenant in the revitalization of the Grand Avenue and tied to other nearby redevelopments, such as the Milwaukee Symphony’s planned relocation into the former Grand Theater across the street from us and the new Bucks arena just blocks away. This location will position Bublr to grow to become an even more viable transportation option for people all over Milwaukee,” Davies said. The move is to occur by the end of January. Bublr Bikes is now based at 1529 N. RiverCenter Drive, in the Schlitz Park business park.

The Bublr Bikes system is a public-private partnership between the City of Milwaukee and Bublr Bikes, with additional support from other public and private partners.

Since 2014, Bublr Bikes has launched 57 bike share stations in several Milwaukee neighborhoods and Wauwatosa. In coming years, the system plans to expand to over 100 stations in Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, West Allis and Shorewood.

Bublr has five full-time employees and nine to 15 part-time employees.

The Grand Avenue was sold just over a year ago to investors who in April announced plans to convert much of the space into upper-floor offices, with mostly restaurants and retail on the street level.

The mall’s owners last month also bought upper floors of the adjacent Matthews Building, which will be part of the renovation project.

“Bublr fits our redevelopment plans perfectly,” Tony Janowiec, one of the Grand Avenue’s new owners, said in a statement.