On April 9, 2026, at the Renew Towns Space Race Award Ceremony at the Bucyrus Club, 7Bridges Record Lounge was named the winner of South Milwaukee’s Space Race. We’ll be building out 1003 Milwaukee Ave.
I’m still processing it. But I wanted to write this now, while the feeling is fresh, because this isn’t just my news to share. This belongs to everyone who voted, everyone who shared the link, everyone who told their neighbor about a record lounge that didn’t even exist yet.
This is your win, South Milwaukee.
What is Space Race?
For those who are just hearing about this: Space Race is a downtown revitalization competition created by UW-Whitewater and Renew Towns. The program gives entrepreneurs in small communities a real shot at transforming vacant downtown buildings into businesses their towns actually need.
It’s not just a grant. It’s a full support system designed to help small-town downtowns come back to life. And South Milwaukee showed up for it.
What We Won
A full year of rent at 1003 Milwaukee Avenue. Twelve months to build this right without the clock running.
Build-out grants for the interior. Listening stations, acoustic treatment, lighting, the coffee counter, retail fixtures. The things that make the experience real.
ADA compliance grants so 7Bridges is accessible to everyone from day one. No compromises.
Facade grants so 1003 Milwaukee Ave looks like the destination it’s about to become. A corner South Milwaukee can be proud of.
This isn’t just prize money. This is the difference between building slowly over years and building it right, starting now.
Thank You, South Milwaukee
I keep coming back to this: you voted for something that didn’t exist yet.
There’s no storefront to walk past. No coffee to taste. No listening station to try. You voted for a vision. A record lounge in a vacant building on Milwaukee Ave. And you decided it was worth believing in.
That takes trust. And I’m not going to waste it.
To everyone who voted, shared the link, texted their friends, talked about it at the bar or the bakery or the Grant Park parking lot: thank you. You made this real.
Thank You, UW-Whitewater and Renew Towns
Space Race exists because someone at UW-Whitewater and Renew Towns looked at small towns with vacant buildings and said: these communities deserve a shot. They built the program. They built the platform. They created the opportunity that South Milwaukee just seized.
Small-town entrepreneurs don’t get many breaks. Space Race is one of the real ones. Thank you for building it, and thank you for believing that a record lounge in South Milwaukee was worth backing.
What This Changes
Everything accelerates. The full year of rent means we can build without rushing. The grants mean the listening stations, the acoustics, and the facade get done right. Not “good enough for now,” but the way they should be from the start.
We entered Space Race knowing we’d build 7Bridges one way or another. Without the win, it would have been slower. More compromises. More “phase two” excuses. Now? We can build the version of this space that South Milwaukee deserves.
What Stays the Same
The mission hasn’t changed. Not one word of it.
South Milwaukee’s living room for music. Listening-first. Vinyl you can trust. Coffee from local roasters. A stage for local musicians. All ages welcome. No gatekeeping.
We were going to build this no matter what. Now we get to build it the way it deserves.
What’s Next
Planning is underway. We’re finalizing the build-out approach, sourcing materials, and figuring out the details that will make 1003 Milwaukee Ave feel like home the moment you walk in.
I’ll share updates as things take shape. The floor plan, the listening station design, the first local coffee partner, the opening date. All of it. You believed in this before you could see it. The least I can do is show you every step of it becoming real.
If you want to follow along, sign up for email updates. When those doors open, I want you there.
South Milwaukee, let’s build this thing.
Tyler Colby, Founder, 7Bridges Record Lounge