After Beans & Barley closes on Jan. 31, many Milwaukee-area residents will be hard pressed to meet the wide-ranging needs it served in one place. Originally a natural-foods grocery, it evolved to include a morning-to-evening restaurant, a deli and gift shop, rotating art gallery and a full-scale catering operation — all featuring “real, good food.” It’s a long shot that any one entity will ever truly replace this beloved community anchor founded in 1973.
The recipe for the success of Beans & Barley (1901 E. North Avenue) would be difficult to duplicate. Although, for years, it has periodically offered its popular recipes in handy pamphlets — which are still available for purchase. Nonetheless, signature ingredients that contributed to its longevity will remain essential —not just to its many patrons.
Certainly, other businesses will continue striving to consider and address all that sustains “community” in Greater Milwaukee. Now is the time to recognize what is lost once this touchstone place is gone.
One key aspect of Beans & Barley’s allure was that it was an all-day dining destination where people could also walk in solo, eat at the lunch counter, and rub shoulders with strangers. The store and deli, bordering the café, expanded opportunities to encounter familiar faces.
Founders (the late) Michael Stevens and Debby Brown had moved to Milwaukee from Madison in 1969 with the intent to advance community-oriented ventures here. Although some of those enterprises came and went, Michael Stevens was also a co-founder, in 1970, of what became the Outpost Natural Foods Cooperative, now expanded to four locations and 23,000 members in Greater Milwaukee.
Menu for omnivores, vegetarians and vegans
When Beans & Barley expanded at its current location in 1979, it offered omnivores, vegetarians and vegans equally delicious and nutritious menu options. Shirley Bankier, a friend who helped develop early recipes, said the goal was to “offer tasty, healthy food at affordable prices.” That eventually carried over into Beans & Barley’s distinctive deli and catering operations. After Michael and Debby left Milwaukee in 1982, Beans & Barley continued to thrive.
Current co-owner Polly Kaplan recently told the Shepherd Express that the menu itself continually evolved with employees contributing recipes. Nonetheless, classics such as Vegetarian Chili, Tofu Scramble and burritos remained mainstays. Beans & Barley’s convenient location and open-every-day hours added to its accessible appeal.
Clearly, Beans & Barley has provided something greater than the sum of its parts. For many, it was a “home away from home,” an everyday part of our commons. Sociologist and author Erik Klinenberg might say that Beans & Barley contributed to Milwaukee’s “social infrastructure.” Often, taken for granted, social infrastructure supports connection and belonging, which in turn counters isolation and loneliness.
Since the planned closure was announced in early December, there have been many acknowledgements of community grief, both in mainstream and social media. People are arriving in droves to savor final tastes. A friend’s daughter who lives in New York City said that Beans’ closing is on the minds of Milwaukee natives in the Big Apple and elsewhere. As with any loss, connecting with others can be therapeutic.
Here’s how Milwaukee can ‘carry on’ legacy
How might Milwaukeeans “carry on” the legacy of Beans & Barley? Each of us can commit to patronizing other local establishments. We can start with places within our neighborhood, and then explore further.
We can make special efforts to visit other establishments with an avowed community-centered mission, such as Amaranth Bakery & Café, HoneyBee Sage Wellness & Apothecary Café, Kinship Café, Kuumba Juice & Coffee and Tricklebee Café. Coincidentally, the local streetwear brand Unfinished Legacy, located in Beans & Barley’s original space at 2410 N. Murray Avenue, will soon transition into the Blue Hour Café. In a recent social media post, owner Brema Brema expressed his hope that it becomes a “hub for caffeine and creatives.”
Local vegetarians and vegans will need to rely more than ever on venues expressly catering to meatless diets, including Beerline Café, Bombay Sweets, Café Manna, Forage Kitchen, Twisted Plants and Strange Town. Let’s hope that ever-more traditional Milwaukee restaurants will offer plant-based fare that is every bit as appealing as other menu options. Besides making business sense, it’s eco-conscious. And, when hosting, everyone can consider the preferences of all eaters as a matter of course.
The loss of Beans & Barley undoubtedly will leave a void in Milwaukee. Now it’s up to all of us to cater collectively to what nourishes our community.
Virginia Small, a lifelong journalist and poet, was one of Beans & Barley’s first employees when it opened in 1973. After living elsewhere for many years, she found it heartening to be able to readily enjoy Beans & Barley again since returning to Milwaukee in 2011.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: When Beans & Barley closes, we can carry its mission on | Opinion
Reporting by Virginia Small, Special to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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