1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,000 Hello everyone and welcome back to the Hostel Road Trip Podcast. 2 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:08,000 The podcast that literally takes its show on the road. 3 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Listen in as James Black and Bobby Dyer, owners of International Travelers House Hostels, 4 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:19,000 travel around the country to learn about these great locations and incredible people 5 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:24,000 that come together to provide a unique and exciting experience for travelers from all over the world. 6 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:27,000 Welcome back to the Hostel Road Trip Podcast. 7 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:31,000 We are here in a special edition at the American Hostel Conference 8 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:39,000 with the first ever hostel in Milwaukee, soon to be open, called the Cream City Hostel. 9 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:44,000 Very happy to be here. Karen Wende. Yes? 10 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:45,000 Hi. 11 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:46,000 Hello. 12 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:47,000 Thank you. 13 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:48,000 Hello. 14 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:50,000 Bob Dyer from ITH Hostels. 15 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:51,000 Thanks for coming ladies. 16 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:55,000 And I'm going to give a shout out to Mark Needham, our audio man, behind the scenes. 17 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:56,000 Hi guys. 18 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:58,000 Oh, a rare presence. 19 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:04,000 So, we are excited to be here with you gals because you were here at the first American Hostel Conference. 20 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:05,000 I was. 21 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:09,000 And as we were talking about in the previous episode with Vicki, the founder, 22 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:14,000 it is very inspiring to see aspiring hostel owners come to this conference 23 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:18,000 and continue to plug away at the challenges of opening up. 24 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:22,000 And we've seen people come back from the first year that have actually opened up. 25 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:26,000 So, first we want to talk a bit about the struggles you've had 26 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:29,000 so that you can empower some other people that have gone through them 27 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:32,000 and encourage them not to give up. 28 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:39,000 So, what were some of the bigger challenges in opening up the first ever hostel in Milwaukee? 29 00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:46,000 So, like many hostels, it's zoning and permits. 30 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:50,000 When you don't follow a model that is not a traditional hotel 31 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:54,000 and you're not a rooming house and you're not a bed and breakfast, 32 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:57,000 they don't know what box to put you in. 33 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:05,000 And so, it's being persistent and working with city planners, not giving up, being patient, 34 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:08,000 which is difficult when you just want to open. 35 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:09,000 It's frustrating. 36 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:11,000 Your livelihood is on the floor. 37 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:13,000 You have to spend a lot of money to get there. 38 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:16,000 And finding the right team. 39 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:22,000 Finding your architect and your developer and your designer 40 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:26,000 and if you have a general contractor doing construction work, 41 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:30,000 and making sure that they get it. 42 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:34,000 And if they don't, knowing to let them go and find someone else. 43 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:38,000 So, that's been some of the biggest challenges. 44 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:40,000 And I've been at it for six years. 45 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:44,000 That's one of the cool stories about you is that it has been such a long struggle. 46 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:46,000 I remember you talking about it last year. 47 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:49,000 So happy to see you here this year. 48 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:52,000 And now you are at the end of this struggle. 49 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:53,000 The light is at the end of the tunnel. 50 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:57,000 You have an opening date projected for June 2019. 51 00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:01,000 And we are just so happy for you that this is going about. 52 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:04,000 We're going to talk more about your actual building that you found. 53 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:07,000 Was this the first building or how many buildings did you go through? 54 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:12,000 I physically walked through five. 55 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:16,000 The first one that we were pursuing the hostel to be in, 56 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:18,000 in the Walkers Point neighborhood in Milwaukee, 57 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:22,000 we were turned down by the Board of Zoning Appeals. 58 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:25,000 We were doing a bread and breakfast with some variants. 59 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:28,000 And we were told we needed to go after a hotel. 60 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:33,000 So we had about 55 letters of support and two letters of opposition. 61 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:34,000 And that's all it takes. 62 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:36,000 It takes those two letters. 63 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:38,000 Like a humjury. 64 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:41,000 So that building didn't happen, which I'm glad it didn't. 65 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:44,000 Because the new building is a much better fit. 66 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:51,000 So I guess like someone might say, even though it's long the journey, 67 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:55,000 when it does happen, it will be for the better of it. 68 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:58,000 Sometimes not having something happen is good. 69 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:01,000 Because then that other door might have not opened. 70 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:05,000 So important for listeners out there, the same predicament that you're in, 71 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:07,000 and the same one that we were in. 72 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:08,000 We went through a lot of buildings. 73 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:09,000 Five as well. 74 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:15,000 And there's still one in my brain that is still currently a rooming house. 75 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:19,000 Of course I'm thinking of the next building. 76 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:20,000 If you expand, yeah. 77 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:24,000 And that would be definitely one that I would love to be in. 78 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:27,000 And I've toured it, but it just wasn't the right timing. 79 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:28,000 The price wasn't right. 80 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:33,000 So this is like about the fifth building I've toured through 81 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:36,000 and probably about a good 20 I've looked at. 82 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:37,000 Nice, nice. 83 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:42,000 It's just like finding that perfect magic sauce, I think, is what we keep calling it. 84 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:43,000 Yeah, yeah. 85 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:46,000 And it takes time and you have to have patience and resilience. 86 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:48,000 But last year you were here by yourself. 87 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:49,000 Correct. 88 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:50,000 So Ms. Wendie. 89 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:51,000 Hi. 90 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:52,000 How did you find yourself in this project? 91 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:54,000 Why did you jump on board? 92 00:04:54,000 --> 00:05:02,000 Just over a year ago, right before the conference, Carolyn approached me. 93 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:07,000 As the developer was getting on board, the building was for sale, 94 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:12,000 and I think she definitely recognized that it wasn't a solo effort. 95 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:13,000 Sure, yeah. 96 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:14,000 So you know, ownership. 97 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:15,000 Nice to have a partner. 98 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:19,000 Yeah, and so we had worked together on a couple different things organizing, 99 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:24,000 mainly the River West 24 bike race that we were chatting about before. 100 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:26,000 So we both know each other's organizing styles, 101 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:30,000 and I didn't have a project on my plate at the time. 102 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:32,000 And I know Wendie's always up for a project. 103 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:34,000 I am always up for a project. 104 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:35,000 So you had worked together prior. 105 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:36,000 That's great. 106 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:37,000 Yeah. 107 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:38,000 Wendie, what was your exposure to hostels? 108 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:39,000 Have you been in one before? 109 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:41,000 I had not been in one before. 110 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:44,000 I mean, I definitely was aware of them and okay with it. 111 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:45,000 You know what I mean? 112 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:53,000 More than okay with it and was supportive of Carolyn's journey those six years previous. 113 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:56,000 You know, we were all rooting for it to happen in the city. 114 00:05:56,000 --> 00:06:05,000 And I think the main thing that really grabbed me was the chance to host more 115 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:07,000 and to show off the city more. 116 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:10,000 And neighborhood more too. 117 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:11,000 Yeah, and the neighborhood. 118 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:12,000 I love my neighborhood. 119 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:14,000 Are you both Milwaukee natives? 120 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:17,000 We're both, I'm not a Milwaukee native, Wendie is. 121 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:18,000 Wendie is, okay. 122 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:20,000 I'm Chicagoland. 123 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:21,000 Chicago. 124 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:22,000 You've been in Milwaukee for a while. 125 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:23,000 I live in Midwest my entire life. 126 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:24,000 Yeah, okay. 127 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:30,000 And I've been hanging out in the neighborhood that the hostel's in since I was 15. 128 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:31,000 Oh, okay. 129 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:32,000 So you know. 130 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:33,000 But I grew up in the suburbs. 131 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:36,000 So I always say that I grew up in the suburbs because my friends that were from the city 132 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:37,000 would let you say that. 133 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:39,000 No, they wouldn't let me say I'm from the suburbs. 134 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:40,000 I like it. 135 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:41,000 I like it. 136 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:46,000 And I've been there about 15 years, and that neighborhood specifically. 137 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:51,000 Now, Carolyn, what made you kind of the mastermind and the pioneer of the project, what made 138 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:53,000 you draw into hostels? 139 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:56,000 Bicycle rickshading, actually. 140 00:06:56,000 --> 00:07:00,000 So when I graduated from college, which was the height of recession, I couldn't find a 141 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:05,000 job because what do you do when you have a master in library science degree and you graduate 142 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:07,000 from college in the height of the recession? 143 00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:08,000 It's tough. 144 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:10,000 It's kind of tough. 145 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:16,000 And so I took on, I was really into the world of cycling, and so I started bicycle rickshading 146 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:23,000 and pedicabs through Milwaukee for four months, and that's how I earned my entire income for 147 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:28,000 four months, was peddling people around downtown Milwaukee. 148 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:31,000 And so I got to know the conference schedule because I would go after the conferences, 149 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:34,000 and a lot of people kept asking me for a hostel. 150 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:37,000 And I've stayed at several hostels before. 151 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:40,000 That's how I preferred to travel since I was 19. 152 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:44,000 And I was like, huh, we don't have one. 153 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:45,000 There you go. 154 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:46,000 I like projects. 155 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:49,000 Apparently, I like difficult projects. 156 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:55,000 And so I started getting that idea in my head, and I started, you know, I was frustrated 157 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:56,000 with the job market. 158 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:59,000 I get bored really easily. 159 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:05,000 Anybody who knows me, I usually have something up my sleeve that I want to do. 160 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:07,000 And I was like, I'll start a hostel. 161 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:08,000 That would be great. 162 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:10,000 I'll start a hostel and a bike shop at the same time. 163 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:12,000 That sounds good. 164 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:17,000 And then I got talked down and said you can only start one business at a time. 165 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:20,000 So I started a bike shop in the meanwhile. 166 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:25,000 So that bicycle, pedicabbing, tourists around is a really good way of getting your market 167 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:26,000 research. 168 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:27,000 That's very true. 169 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:30,000 Because you get to talk to them for like 20 minutes. 170 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:33,000 Did you have any hostels that you stayed at previously that really inspired you, that 171 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:34,000 made you fall in love? 172 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:37,000 I stayed at Green Tortoise in San Fran. 173 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:38,000 That was my first one. 174 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:39,000 It's a pretty classic. 175 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:40,000 That's a good one. 176 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:42,000 That's the first one that introduced me to Two Buck Chuck. 177 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:45,000 That's before we had Trader Joe's in Wisconsin. 178 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:48,000 So I was there for almost a week. 179 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:51,000 I actually took the train out there and trained back. 180 00:08:51,000 --> 00:08:56,000 And then it was during Burning Man time, so I ran into a bunch of Burning Man people who 181 00:08:56,000 --> 00:08:57,000 told me all about hostels. 182 00:08:57,000 --> 00:09:00,000 I've heard they have a great afterburn party at Green Tortoise. 183 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:05,000 I actually stayed at Seattle one this year. 184 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:09,000 So it was a nice complimentary back to back. 185 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:12,000 And then I've stayed in New York. 186 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:14,000 I can't remember which one. 187 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:16,000 I think they closed. 188 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:19,000 And I think I've stayed at about five or six. 189 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:24,000 I mostly have stayed in US ones, but I've also stayed in New York when I was traveling 190 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:25,000 there. 191 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:28,000 And so most of my hostel experience is actually the opposite of most people. 192 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:31,000 I've actually stayed mostly in American hostels. 193 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:32,000 That is unique. 194 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:35,000 Versus European or international hostels. 195 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:39,000 And every one I've stayed at, I love solo traveling. 196 00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:45,000 And it's really hard as a solo traveler, especially female traveler, to feel comfortable going 197 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:48,000 into a place and having a place to stay. 198 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:53,000 And I didn't have a lot of money as a college student, so it allowed me to be able to do 199 00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:55,000 these epic spring breaks. 200 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:58,000 Yeah, spread that dollar. 201 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:03,000 Now, so the search has gone on for six years, but now we've finally found the building. 202 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:05,000 And we've got the name Cream City. 203 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:06,000 Let's start there. 204 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:10,000 What is the origin of the name Cream City Hostel? 205 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:14,000 We hope you're enjoying this episode of the Hostel Road Trip podcast. 206 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:19,000 We're taking a moment now to talk about a great service called Worldpackers.com. 207 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:24,000 Worldpackers.com is actually how I got my start with the Hostel Road Trip podcast. 208 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:28,000 World Packers is a great service that connects travelers looking for a place to stay in a 209 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:31,000 new city with the hostels who need their skills. 210 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:36,000 You can do anything from house cleaning to reception to media and marketing and so much 211 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:37,000 more. 212 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:41,000 With a reasonable fee of $50 a year and a little bit of courage, you could find yourself 213 00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:43,000 anywhere in the world. 214 00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:47,000 For more information, just go find Grandpa Carlos surfing on the west coast somewhere 215 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:49,000 between California and Mexico. 216 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:53,000 If you're having trouble finding him this way, he might be taking a siesta on his surfboard. 217 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:58,000 If that's the case, scream to the heavens, Grandpa Carlos, we need you. 218 00:10:58,000 --> 00:11:00,000 And he'll be sure to answer the call. 219 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:04,000 But if all else fails, just check out Worldpackers.com. 220 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:09,000 That's W-O-R-L-D-P-A-C-K-E-R-S dot com. 221 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:13,000 And now we bring you back to your regularly scheduled program. 222 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:15,000 Do you want to describe it for us? 223 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:22,000 So Cream City Brick was a ubiquitous building material in Milwaukee when Milwaukee was first 224 00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:23,000 being built. 225 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:30,000 And specifically in our neighborhood you'll have what we call Polish flats. 226 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:34,000 They were single family homes that mainly the Polish immigrants would make. 227 00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:37,000 And then when the mother-in-law would come or their brother's family would come, they 228 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:40,000 would hike up the house and build like a half-floor over the basement. 229 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:44,000 They have a little apartment downstairs and they're all Cream City Brick. 230 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:51,000 So the clay material around the Milwaukee River specifically creates this white color 231 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:52,000 cream brick. 232 00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:53,000 It's a white brick. 233 00:11:53,000 --> 00:11:54,000 It's a white brick. 234 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:57,000 And it's specifically to that region of the Milwaukee River. 235 00:11:57,000 --> 00:12:01,000 And they eventually ran out of building material. 236 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:06,000 So all of downtown Milwaukee is also filled with Cream City Brick. 237 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:12,000 And a lot of it you don't see cream anymore because they had coal fired power. 238 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:15,000 And so a lot of it is black smug. 239 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:20,000 But if you clean it up it's actually all cream actually. 240 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:26,000 And so it's a really unique brick to Milwaukee because it's very specific to the soil in 241 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:27,000 our area. 242 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:29,000 Does the hostel have, is it made out of the cream? 243 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:33,000 The entire building is made out of Cream City Brick on the outside. 244 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:39,000 The building was built in 1910 and it was a Holton State, Holton Street State Bank. 245 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:41,000 Which is a locally owned bank. 246 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:43,000 For 70 years. 247 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:49,000 And then it was closed for a while and then the Milwaukee Public School System opened 248 00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:50,000 a head start. 249 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:51,000 The whole program in the 60s. 250 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:52,000 Yeah. 251 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:57,000 And then they put in a working elevator, gutted it, opened up the classrooms. 252 00:12:57,000 --> 00:13:00,000 So most of the bank is gone. 253 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:02,000 Anything that was originally 1910s is... 254 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:03,000 Do you have a big safe in there? 255 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:04,000 Any more big vault? 256 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:05,000 They took it out. 257 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:06,000 Oh, that would have been fun. 258 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:07,000 It's a mechanical room now. 259 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:08,000 Okay, okay. 260 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:10,000 Now tell us a bit about the building. 261 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:12,000 What is the layout going to be? 262 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:13,000 How many rooms do you think you'll have? 263 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:14,000 Occupancy? 264 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:17,000 What's the flow going to be like? 265 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:19,000 So we have three floors. 266 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:21,000 We have a half basement. 267 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:23,000 Meaning that it's like half windows. 268 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:25,000 So it's still a lot of light coming in. 269 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:27,000 There's going to be a staff room down there. 270 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:30,000 The couchy hangout area. 271 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:32,000 And then a common kitchen. 272 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:35,000 And then table dining area. 273 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:39,000 And a local furniture maker, Chris Brooks. 274 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:40,000 Christopher Brooks. 275 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:43,000 He's making the table so they connect and disconnect. 276 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:47,000 And the chairs as well so that people can either make benches 277 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:49,000 and like community dinner together. 278 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:53,000 Or you can break it apart and create some different layouts. 279 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:57,000 So we're trying to be as module as we can to allow the guests 280 00:13:57,000 --> 00:14:01,000 to move the space to how they need the space to work for them. 281 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:02,000 That's fascinating. 282 00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:03,000 That's pretty cool. 283 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:05,000 Because it changes depending on who stays. 284 00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:06,000 It's true. 285 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:08,000 You might have people who are like, 286 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:09,000 I want to hang out with everybody. 287 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:10,000 And you might have people going, 288 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:12,000 I just want to hang out with the four people over here. 289 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:13,000 Yeah, yeah. 290 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:16,000 And then the upstairs will be the reception area. 291 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:21,000 And then coast end bikes will have a small presence there 292 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:23,000 doing the bike rentals and the events. 293 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:27,000 And a small mechanic bench area for people who are bringing their 294 00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:29,000 bikes and stuff via bike flights. 295 00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:30,000 Yes. 296 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:35,000 And then we'll have four, three rooms on the floor. 297 00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:36,000 Yeah, two eight beds. 298 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:38,000 One, six. 299 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:43,000 Yes, two eight bed dorms and one six bed dorm on the first floor. 300 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:46,000 The second floor will have our two private rooms, 301 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:49,000 a quieter workspace common area. 302 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:54,000 And then two 12 bed dorms and a four bed dorm. 303 00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:55,000 Correct. 304 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:56,000 And the four bed we want to do, 305 00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:58,000 have a little bit more family friendly. 306 00:14:58,000 --> 00:14:59,000 Okay. 307 00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:00,000 Particularly since it's on the second floor. 308 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:04,000 And what's cool about the six and four bed is there's the bigger 309 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:07,000 dormitory rooms and then there's the dormitory style bathroom. 310 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:09,000 And then it's the room. 311 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:12,000 So they should be a little bit more noise protected from the other rooms. 312 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:13,000 Bitch, yeah. 313 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:15,000 And then we have two privates as well. 314 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:16,000 So about 50? 315 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:17,000 52 beds. 316 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:18,000 52. 317 00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:19,000 That's great size. 318 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:20,000 That's perfect. 319 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:21,000 That's great. 320 00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:26,000 Now, before we jump into your interesting crowdfunding strategy, 321 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:30,000 what about a bit more on this outdoor area? 322 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:31,000 Our yard. 323 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:32,000 The yard. 324 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:34,000 It's twice or three times as big as the? 325 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:35,000 Probably four. 326 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:36,000 Four times? 327 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:37,000 Yeah. 328 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:37,000 Four times. 329 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:41,000 The footprint is at least three times of the building. 330 00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:43,000 Which is so rare in an urban hostel, 331 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:46,000 which is usually one of the biggest problems you struggle with. 332 00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:47,000 You don't have any outdoor space. 333 00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:48,000 Yeah. 334 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:50,000 We have a ridiculous amount of outdoor space. 335 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:53,000 If we could move some of it in the building. 336 00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:54,000 Yeah. 337 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:56,000 It's so important, so great to have a barbecue. 338 00:15:56,000 --> 00:15:59,000 It really brings everyone together in good outdoor space. 339 00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:03,000 So what's unique about this yard is that it's been fenced off for a good 340 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:06,000 over 15 years, and before that the school used it, 341 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:10,000 so the neighborhood has never been able to access this space. 342 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:12,000 And it's about half a city block. 343 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:13,000 It's pretty large. 344 00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:17,000 And so we want to open it up to the neighborhood. 345 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:21,000 We want to create events where the hostel guests 346 00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:23,000 and the neighborhood can mingle together. 347 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:24,000 Yeah. 348 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:27,000 So people can see what the hostel is. 349 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:30,000 It's not just this building where people are staying inside of it, 350 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:31,000 going in and out. 351 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:34,000 It's coming over and having maker markets, 352 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:37,000 or having a food truck out there that night. 353 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:39,000 So great for the word of mouth and the community. 354 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:41,000 People's friends visit. 355 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:45,000 Have a movie night where you watch ET and then, 356 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:50,000 and at the same time you have the neighborhood kids playing out 357 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:52,000 and the playground equipment is still there. 358 00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:54,000 So you'll keep that there, nice. 359 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:55,000 Right now we don't have to take it out. 360 00:16:55,000 --> 00:16:57,000 We'll see what the insurance keeps us. 361 00:16:57,000 --> 00:16:58,000 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 362 00:16:58,000 --> 00:16:59,000 The jungle gym with the people. 363 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:02,000 I don't know if you remember the playground equipment from the 80s, but... 364 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:08,000 I mean, we both know a bunch of event coordinators 365 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:14,000 and why can't I think of the band bookers? 366 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:16,000 A lot of the venues in the neighborhood. 367 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:17,000 We want to do acoustic shows and stuff. 368 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:21,000 And one of the things, I bartended at a bar 369 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:26,000 that does tons and tons of bands for almost nine years. 370 00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:30,000 And we're always scrambling to find places for them to stay. 371 00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:33,000 So we're really hoping to work out a good deal where, 372 00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:36,000 let your band stay with us, we'll give them the four-bed dorm. 373 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:39,000 They play an acoustic show in the yard on Sunday after. 374 00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:40,000 Right, a nice partnering system. 375 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:43,000 That's open to the community to come in and have a cool show. 376 00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:45,000 That's so important with the community relations 377 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:50,000 because the hostile word has a bad stigma, as we all know and talk about. 378 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:52,000 So that's a great way to quickly overcome it 379 00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:56,000 by bringing your community into your space for beneficial events 380 00:17:56,000 --> 00:17:59,000 so that they look at your hostel as a great addition to the community 381 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:03,000 and not something that's going to bring any type of bad mojo or bad crowd to it. 382 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:06,000 So smart move there, for sure. 383 00:18:06,000 --> 00:18:10,000 Now, with this building purchase, you purchased it, which is great. 384 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:12,000 A lot of hostels buy themselves. 385 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:13,000 The investors purchased it. 386 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:14,000 Well, the investors purchased it. 387 00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:15,000 So how did you structure this? 388 00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:18,000 Because that's always a big question for listeners out there 389 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:20,000 that are starting up or trying to get going. 390 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:23,000 And a triple net lease is very scary. 391 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:25,000 Purchasing a building is very scary. 392 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:29,000 And then there's a lot of creative ways that you can structure this, though, 393 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:32,000 that make it so it's safe for you and beneficial for investors. 394 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:33,000 How did you all do it? 395 00:18:33,000 --> 00:18:36,000 So when I got the idea to start a hostel in Milwaukee, 396 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:40,000 I contacted our local visitors bureau, Visit Milwaukee, 397 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:43,000 and they connected me with this woman named Julie Kaufman. 398 00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:48,000 And we had coffee together at a local coffee shop. 399 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:53,000 And she's like, she does business a little differently as a developer. 400 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:56,000 She does what's called a main street model, 401 00:18:56,000 --> 00:19:00,000 which is where she purchases buildings and develops them 402 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:05,000 to businesses that approve a neighborhood for what the neighborhood needs 403 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:08,000 that would create more economic growth. 404 00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:12,000 So rather than just popping another Hilton down, you know, 405 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:16,000 she sees having a hostel that is neighborhood focused 406 00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:19,000 and ensuring more of a neighborhood. 407 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:22,000 And this, like, a neighborhood and develop the commerce. 408 00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:23,000 Awesome. 409 00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:24,000 Yeah, make the community stronger. 410 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:25,000 Correct. 411 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:27,000 It's a community-based development model. 412 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:28,000 That's so nice. 413 00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:32,000 There's a lot of other words in her description that I'm not quite remembering right now. 414 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:33,000 Community-based is good. 415 00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:36,000 And she usually tries to have, I mean, a lot of her other developments, 416 00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:39,000 she has more than one business in it, but at least one anchor business, 417 00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:41,000 and the development is built around. 418 00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:42,000 Yeah. 419 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:45,000 So she doesn't just, like, rehab a building and then go looking for tenants. 420 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:46,000 Gotcha. 421 00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:47,000 She works with them during it. 422 00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:50,000 So we're working, like, we're making decisions hand in hand with the developer 423 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:55,000 of what toilets and what sinks and what showers and what do we want for flooring, 424 00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:59,000 what do we want the walls to be painted, like, even through we're the tenant 425 00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:03,000 and she's the developer and all of the funding. 426 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:04,000 So she is the funding. 427 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:06,000 So, yeah, so she's the funding. 428 00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:09,000 We still get a lot of decisions as a tenant, which is interesting. 429 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:11,000 Yeah, a little bit of artistic freedom. 430 00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:16,000 So she's the manager of Riverbee Development, which is the development group. 431 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:20,000 Half of the investment money came through equity investment, 432 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:25,000 which she, for all the projects that I know that she's worked on, 433 00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:29,000 she continued this with us where the neighborhood and the community members 434 00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:34,000 can invest in it, the minimum investment in the equity side was $1,000. 435 00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:38,000 And then up to $10,000 and beyond that you had to prove you were a vested investor. 436 00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:41,000 Those weren't any of our friends. 437 00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:46,000 So we had 50 investors in the equity of the building. 438 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:51,000 About 15 to at least 15 or 20 of them are in our neighborhood. 439 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:53,000 So they're investing in their community. 440 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:58,000 Literally like three doors down as an investor. 441 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:01,000 And so it's through a community. 442 00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:06,000 There's a, she started in Milwaukee called Fund Milwaukee. 443 00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:10,000 And the way it works is it's crowdsourcing local investment dollars. 444 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:13,000 So my bike shop has also gone through them as well. 445 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:18,000 And so you pitch to them and you say, I want to raise a million dollars. 446 00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:21,000 I want to do half equity, half debt. 447 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:23,000 Here's my perks that I will offer you. 448 00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:26,000 This is what interest you will get. 449 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:28,000 This is your return on your investment. 450 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:34,000 And you'll get a free stay once a year or something if you want to offer a little perk. 451 00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:37,000 And then they literally just hand you separate checks. 452 00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:42,000 And what's great about her as a developer, she's taking all of that. 453 00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:47,000 It's all going under her umbrella, Riverbee LLC. 454 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:49,000 Cream City Hostel is the tenant. 455 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:55,000 And then we're leasing the building and all of the initial startup for it, 456 00:21:55,000 --> 00:22:01,000 including the furniture, the website, everything that we need to succeed. 457 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:04,000 And then we're bringing in a little bit on our own as well. 458 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:09,000 It's a model that goes, that helps build up entrepreneurs 459 00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:13,000 that traditional lending sources aren't going to fund. 460 00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:16,000 Thanks again for listening to the Hostel Road Trip podcast with us. 461 00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:20,000 We want to take a second to talk about one of our sponsors that keeps the road trip alive. 462 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:26,000 That is the International Travelers House Hostels, located in San Diego at three locations, 463 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:29,000 Big Bear Lake, and Newport, Rhode Island. 464 00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:34,000 International Travelers House provides a unique experience at each one of their locations 465 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:39,000 with great staff, great food, and tons of connections to the local community 466 00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:44,000 so that you can have a great time vacationing, traveling through, or staying for a while. 467 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:50,000 If you want more information on ITH, check out ithhostels.com 468 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:54,000 to check out videos, pictures, blogs, and direct booking to our locations. 469 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:59,000 Thank you again for listening. We hope you enjoy the conclusion of this episode. 470 00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:28,000 We're building that in. 471 00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:33,000 So you've got a kind of a lease to own option within an investment structure. 472 00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:36,000 Without a lease money going toward the owning. 473 00:23:36,000 --> 00:23:41,000 Well that's really cool and I think that highlights that there are so many creative ways 474 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:45,000 that you can structure the funding for these projects. 475 00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:48,000 It's very easy to get discouraged, they get thrown out of the bank, 476 00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:50,000 where they see the number and the money they're going to need, 477 00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:52,000 and they say screw it, I don't want to do it. 478 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:58,000 If you stay at it and you get creative, there are people out there that will invest privately 479 00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:02,000 to make it happen for you. So that's really cool to see that you gals are able to do that. 480 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:06,000 I would love to, honestly I personally would love to see it develop within the hostel community 481 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:09,000 after experiencing what this could do now. 482 00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:14,000 I would much rather invest my 401k money into people who are in my own industry. 483 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:15,000 That's cool. 484 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:18,000 You know, like I'd say hey, you're starting this great hostel, right Jimmy? 485 00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:23,000 I got $2,000 in the bank right now, can I get like a 5% interest on that? 486 00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:24,000 Yeah, yeah. 487 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:29,000 You know, and like that starts, we can build up our own industry off of that. 488 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:31,000 Industry off of ourselves. 489 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:32,000 Yeah, grassroots in a way. 490 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:33,000 Exactly. 491 00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:34,000 It's like the Packers we were talking about. 492 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:35,000 And like the Packers. 493 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:36,000 Yeah, people own the Packers. 494 00:24:36,000 --> 00:24:37,000 Wisconsin, something like that. 495 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:38,000 It's very Wisconsin-y. 496 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:40,000 Yeah, that's cool. 497 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:45,000 What do you think in Milwaukee your price range will be for a bunk? 498 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:49,000 I know you have high season, low season, different things, but just kind of ballparked. 499 00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:51,000 How is that in your projections? 500 00:24:51,000 --> 00:24:56,000 We're at $27 to $70. 501 00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:57,000 Correct. 502 00:24:57,000 --> 00:25:00,000 From the 12 bunk room to the private room. 503 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:01,000 Depending on the season. 504 00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:03,000 Yeah, depending on the season. 505 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:08,000 And then I think we're additional people in the private room. 506 00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:09,000 Correct. 507 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:10,000 $15 a person. 508 00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:13,000 Because you can easily sleep three in our private rooms. 509 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:17,000 And we're looking at like, you know, for like people who are truly like bike tourists, for 510 00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:21,000 example, who are truly camping, we do have a lot of outside space. 511 00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:22,000 That's a good idea. 512 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:26,000 So there is potential possibility people could camp in the backyard for additional like $15, 513 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:30,000 which you know, we still have to figure out where they go. 514 00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:32,000 But like we have a fair amount of yards. 515 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:34,000 We can make some nice camping pads for sure. 516 00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:36,000 But it is our yard, I mean. 517 00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:38,000 Yeah, you can generate some revenues. 518 00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:43,000 Now, tell us more about for the listeners that could come and visit Milwaukee. 519 00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:47,000 And now knowing that there will be a hostel there this summer. 520 00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:52,000 And I remember, Carol, just talking with you about the summer in Milwaukee and how fun it is and all the events. 521 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:53,000 We live it up. 522 00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:59,000 I remember you telling me that pretty much from like the spring or late spring through the fall, there's an event like every weekend. 523 00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:01,000 Yeah, we don't stop. 524 00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:02,000 No. 525 00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:03,000 When the weather is there, you go. 526 00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:04,000 It's going. 527 00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:09,000 So what are some of the cool events in Milwaukee that a potential backpacker would want to stop in for? 528 00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:12,000 I mean, Summerfest is probably the most well known one. 529 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:13,000 The biggest one? 530 00:26:13,000 --> 00:26:19,000 Yeah, City of Festivals is what they, you know, the grounds that the Summerfest is on, the Henry Meyer Festival grounds. 531 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:23,000 Almost every weekend during the summer, there's some sort of ethnic festival. 532 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:24,000 It starts around June and keeps going. 533 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:28,000 Pride Fest kicks it off and then Indian Summer ends it. 534 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:29,000 And Panther Fest. 535 00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:31,000 German Fest and. 536 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:32,000 The new UWM one. 537 00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:40,000 So that's huge and that brings in tons of people every five years. 538 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:44,000 So we're a few years away from needing to prepare for Harley Fest anniversary. 539 00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:46,000 Oh, Harley Fest. 540 00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:49,000 Yeah, starting the 90th anniversary. 541 00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:56,000 So like 20 years ago, they've ramped it up every five years. 542 00:26:56,000 --> 00:26:59,000 There's a lot of conventions as well. 543 00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:03,000 They're actually expanding our convention center to be even bigger. 544 00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:12,000 And because it's not quite as big, we're smaller than Chicago, smaller than like a lot of the other major cities, but still a major city. 545 00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:17,000 We're actually starting to attract a lot of big, like major conventions. 546 00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:26,000 And there's a lot of, and that's actually a lot of fall into winter, actually, is because, and we're cheaper than the larger cities for conventions. 547 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:29,000 So we're starting to attract more of that. 548 00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:31,000 You can make good bits and those big conventions. 549 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:35,000 How would you spend the perfect day, would you say, for a guest at your hostel? 550 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:40,000 Like as far as in summertime, if you said I got one day to be here, what would you tell them to do? 551 00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:44,000 Maybe daytime and then into a nightlife? Maybe your favorite? 552 00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:48,000 I mean, it depends on what they're into, but I will probably be sending a lot of people. 553 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:53,000 We're very, very lucky in our neighborhood to be really close to the river. 554 00:27:53,000 --> 00:28:02,000 And there's a couple organizations that have worked tremendously hard the last 15, 20 years, and it's looked so much different. 555 00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:03,000 What river is this? 556 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:04,000 The Milwaukee River. 557 00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:05,000 The Milwaukee River, nice, all right. 558 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:10,000 So once you hit downtown, it's pretty concrete-barriered and like, you know, it's pretty, but it is what it is. 559 00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:11,000 We've never river walked down there, no? 560 00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:18,000 But our whole neighborhood has been, the native plants have come back, the track. 561 00:28:18,000 --> 00:28:26,000 You can like be walking along the Milwaukee River, which is less than half a mile away from the hostel, and not even know you're in the city. 562 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:28,000 It's really beautiful. 563 00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:35,000 And there's also the Urban Ecology Center right there, so you can rent snowshoes and skis and canoes. 564 00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:38,000 And they're building a new arboretum. Cross-country skiing. 565 00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:41,000 Cross-country skiing, not hills. 566 00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:42,000 So the river is great. 567 00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:43,000 Lakefront. 568 00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:45,000 Lakefront Brewery? 569 00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:46,000 Lakefront itself. 570 00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:53,000 Lakefront itself, yeah. We have the lake. So getting to one of the bodies of water, I think, is key. 571 00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:56,000 Now, but isn't this, you said brewery, isn't this like the original beer tent though? 572 00:28:56,000 --> 00:28:57,000 Yeah. 573 00:28:57,000 --> 00:28:58,000 And then there's a lakefront. 574 00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:00,000 There's a ton of breweries within walking distance, actually. 575 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:03,000 Yeah, they feel like a new one pops up every week. 576 00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:06,000 We have four breweries in the neighborhood already. 577 00:29:06,000 --> 00:29:07,000 Craft beer breweries. 578 00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:08,000 All craft beer. 579 00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:12,000 And then there's also like, so going out for a night drink is really easy. 580 00:29:12,000 --> 00:29:15,000 There's a Polish Falcon has one of the oldest bowling alleys in the world. 581 00:29:15,000 --> 00:29:17,000 The oldest bowling alleys in the country? 582 00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:18,000 The Falcon Bowl, yes. 583 00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:19,000 Oh, the Falcon Bowl, yeah. 584 00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:26,000 Yeah, yeah. Fourth oldest continuous bowling alley in the country, I believe, is one of those. 585 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:29,000 I should know why Bart's not there. 586 00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:31,000 I was like, I'm looking at you here. 587 00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:38,000 I mean, we run the gamut in Milwaukee for styles of bars, that's for sure. And in the neighborhood too. 588 00:29:38,000 --> 00:29:42,000 And then there's like a lot of really good local shows, like a liniment. 589 00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:43,000 There's a good music scene. 590 00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:48,000 Yeah. Well, again, we're cheaper than Chicago, but we're close enough. 591 00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:56,000 And so what we have is a lot of bands don't stay in Chicago, come to Milwaukee, and our covers are usually five bucks. 592 00:29:56,000 --> 00:30:04,000 You know, again, really affordable beers are three to four, maybe five, you know, for a full 16 ounce pour. 593 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:08,000 You know, like, so you can go out pretty affordably. And that's Milwaukee. 594 00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:09,000 Awesome. 595 00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:17,000 And like liniments is probably my favorite venue for sound because he, John, John? 596 00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:18,000 Lim. 597 00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:19,000 Lim, yeah. 598 00:30:19,000 --> 00:30:20,000 Tim. 599 00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:23,000 He used to be the sound person for, he used to be sound for Flaming Whips. 600 00:30:23,000 --> 00:30:25,000 Oh, wow. 601 00:30:25,000 --> 00:30:27,000 And so they'll occasionally perform there still. 602 00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:28,000 That's right. All right. 603 00:30:28,000 --> 00:30:34,000 And so there's a lot of famous bands that have come out of River West actually, out of that neighborhood. 604 00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:42,000 And there is just a really good like if you go out within stumbling blocks, you can find something to do. 605 00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:43,000 That's awesome. 606 00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:44,000 Sounds like a good time. 607 00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:48,000 Now, if you were in Chicago, which is a pretty big backpacker scene. 608 00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:49,000 Yeah. 609 00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:50,000 So this would be a big draw for you. 610 00:30:50,000 --> 00:30:51,000 We're definitely looking at. 611 00:30:51,000 --> 00:30:53,000 How far away are we? 612 00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:55,000 Two hour drive? Not even. 613 00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:57,000 Yeah, not even a two hour drive. 614 00:30:57,000 --> 00:30:58,000 Would you take public transport? 615 00:30:58,000 --> 00:30:59,000 Yes. 616 00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:00,000 What kind of? 617 00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:02,000 Oh, it's in the train. 618 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:03,000 Oh, all right. 619 00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:04,000 You can hop on the train. 620 00:31:04,000 --> 00:31:05,000 You'll be downtown Milwaukee. 621 00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:07,000 Which line is that? 622 00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:08,000 Chieftain or what? 623 00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:10,000 Hiwatha? 624 00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:11,000 Hiwatha? 625 00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:12,000 Hiwatha. 626 00:31:12,000 --> 00:31:13,000 I can't pronounce that one. 627 00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:16,000 Yeah, you take the Hiwatha line up from Chicago. 628 00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:22,000 We, the new trolley system just opened up. 629 00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:23,000 Streetcar. 630 00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:24,000 Streetcar thing, not trolley. 631 00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:25,000 The hop just opened. 632 00:31:25,000 --> 00:31:27,000 So you can get on that right there. 633 00:31:27,000 --> 00:31:29,000 It'd be one transfer to a bus line. 634 00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:34,000 I think that's really great because when you are opening up your first, or the first hostel in the city, 635 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:38,000 one of the first things you think of, what's the next big hostel city they'd be coming from? 636 00:31:38,000 --> 00:31:44,000 So you obviously have a big player in Chicago there, easy to get to and from. 637 00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:45,000 Fantastic. 638 00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:46,000 I can see that working well. 639 00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:49,000 What if they weren't coming from Chicago and they were coming from the other direction? 640 00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:51,000 What would be the closest city? 641 00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:53,000 Madison has HI Madison. 642 00:31:53,000 --> 00:31:54,000 Okay. 643 00:31:54,000 --> 00:31:56,000 And that's been there for a long time. 644 00:31:56,000 --> 00:31:57,000 So that's great. 645 00:31:57,000 --> 00:32:01,000 So you could tune in with them and do some reciprocity and some cross-promoting. 646 00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:02,000 Yeah, correct. 647 00:32:02,000 --> 00:32:03,000 And then Minneapolis. 648 00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:04,000 Detroit. 649 00:32:04,000 --> 00:32:05,000 Detroit has all the nice hostels. 650 00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:08,000 Yeah, Detroit has got a nice hostel scene going on now too. 651 00:32:08,000 --> 00:32:09,000 Midwest is starting. 652 00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:13,000 Yeah, we got a little Midwest trail going on. 653 00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:21,000 Now what about, you know, in closing, some of your thoughts that you could share about the American Hostel Conference 654 00:32:21,000 --> 00:32:26,000 and your experience if you came here last year, you've come back again this year. 655 00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:31,000 How has it helped you in your progression of kind of closing this deal? 656 00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:35,000 So last year when I came back, I think the phrase I said is I found my people. 657 00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:36,000 Ah. 658 00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:44,000 Like I've really struggled as a business owner in finding my identity of where I feel comfortable as a business owner. 659 00:32:44,000 --> 00:32:50,000 And this is what, you know, I feel like you don't go into this business unless you love. 660 00:32:50,000 --> 00:32:51,000 You really have to have the passion. 661 00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:52,000 You have to really love it. 662 00:32:52,000 --> 00:32:53,000 You'd be a little crazy, maybe. 663 00:32:53,000 --> 00:32:55,000 Yeah, you work in a lot of hours. 664 00:32:55,000 --> 00:32:57,000 You're a little crazy, right? 665 00:32:57,000 --> 00:33:01,000 And when you look at the numbers, you're definitely not always in it for the money, right? 666 00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:02,000 No, no. 667 00:33:02,000 --> 00:33:03,000 But the numbers are there. 668 00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:05,000 The numbers are there and they're growing. 669 00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:08,000 And I think that the property ownership is really your nest egg. 670 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:13,000 So if you can have the comfort that you're maybe not making great money now, 671 00:33:13,000 --> 00:33:20,000 but you're kind of your 401k or your security is that this property you own is getting appreciation and value 672 00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:22,000 and paid down over the years in equity. 673 00:33:22,000 --> 00:33:25,000 So you're creating yourself a nice investment there. 674 00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:30,000 And I think it's definitely the networking and having access to the lovely email list 675 00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:37,000 when you're running into code issues and you can email 40 hostel owners, operators, managers and say, 676 00:33:37,000 --> 00:33:40,000 what do you do on communal kitchens? 677 00:33:40,000 --> 00:33:42,000 This doesn't seem... 678 00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:48,000 OK, tell me your story because then it might help our city planners find a box that they're comfortable in. 679 00:33:48,000 --> 00:33:53,000 And just like being able to wrap it's like a one stop shop for networking. 680 00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:57,000 You know, and it's really difficult when you're trying to open up something new 681 00:33:57,000 --> 00:34:00,000 and you don't have anybody else to talk to your new city. 682 00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:05,000 And yes, you can get that we can get down to Chicago, but they're extremely busy as well. 683 00:34:05,000 --> 00:34:14,000 You know, it's like, OK, I have now all of these ideas of how to design it or like plugging ideas you've had. 684 00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:19,000 I would like I want to do this thing in the hostel and people like that would know. I've tried that. 685 00:34:19,000 --> 00:34:24,000 And that's a really great idea. You should maybe consider doing it from this angle. 686 00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:32,000 And to be able to have that for two days and go back and like either affirm or change what you're going to do 687 00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:37,000 or looking at a computer from a back end of the PMS system 688 00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:46,000 and getting somebody's perspective who uses it every day versus just a demo from the company is really invaluable. 689 00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:54,000 Yeah. And I've seen some of the email chains from you and other people that were aspiring hostel owners from last year. 690 00:34:54,000 --> 00:35:00,000 And it really does inspire you even when you're not in the email chain just to see how open other hostel operators are with helping people. 691 00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:01,000 It's amazing. 692 00:35:01,000 --> 00:35:09,000 Giving the insight of the struggles they've gone through and helping out so for people listening out there, it's definitely a great value of the American Hostel Conference. 693 00:35:09,000 --> 00:35:16,000 If you are looking to do this and you are looking to network with people and get a little bit of extra push, definitely well worth the time. 694 00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:23,000 But it is going to be exciting to see you gals open up this operation. We cannot wait to come out and see it in person. 695 00:35:23,000 --> 00:35:33,000 It will be exciting to do a full episode at that time, hopefully outside of your beautiful courtyard, sipping a cold beer of Milwaukee's finest. 696 00:35:33,000 --> 00:35:34,000 Yes. 697 00:35:34,000 --> 00:35:35,000 Killing out. 698 00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:42,000 But thank you so much for taking the time to let us know and listeners know that Milwaukee is going to be on the map. 699 00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:46,000 Wendy, Carolyn, I'm so happy that you found a partner too. 700 00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:51,000 As a person that has a business partner, it really can get you through those tough nights. 701 00:35:51,000 --> 00:35:52,000 Yep. 702 00:35:52,000 --> 00:35:55,000 I've been through a lot with partners. 703 00:35:55,000 --> 00:36:02,000 Yeah, so I think this is great. I can feel good energy between you and I think you're going to make a great hostel in Milwaukee. 704 00:36:02,000 --> 00:36:03,000 Thank you. 705 00:36:03,000 --> 00:36:04,000 Put it on the map. 706 00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:05,000 Thank you. 707 00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:22,000 We're looking forward to it. We're looking forward to it.