A Casualty......

When we were beginning to explore condominiums in the Milwaukee area we drove up to Port Washington on a Saturday. We were intrigued by the small town feel and also the busy downtown. The store windows were mostly full....with very few shops empty. Port was close enough to Milwaukee and offered lakefront living in our price range. It didn't take much discussion to sell our house and bring us up from Bayview. We have so enjoyed our almost six years here. The marina offers seasonal sailboat activity that brings back happy memories. We can walk to the library or down town for a cup of coffee. We can also walk to neighborhood restaurants and the post office. There are lots of places to take Fenway for his multi-walks-per-day. Watching Lake Michigan never gets old.

As the COVID-19 virus hit the world, the United States and Wisconsin we wondered just how small businesses could survive. We saw the unemployment figures rise drastically. Our stores, restaurants, pubs, gift shops and all other non-essential vendors had "Closed" signs posted in their windows now, or "Open for Take Out" at our nearby eateries. We talked about how our down town main street would look after the return to a new "normal".

And then there was a notice on Facebook. One of the smaller restaurants, Baltica, announced they would be closing. After nine years they would no longer be a part of downtown. The food at this restaurant was delicious. It was a place I would take friends for lunch when they came up to visit. My photos don't do the building justice because it has friendly orange awnings out front that just seem cheerful.

                                  

We will have to say goodbye to Baltica.....and soon an empty storefront will occupy their space. How many more for Port Washington? How many more for America? How many more world wide.

The powerful and deadly COVID-19 will decide.