For years, every plan for the empty building at 205 N. Main St. in Shawano ran into the same two problems. Fixing it up cost too much, and it is really two connected buildings that are hard to pull apart. City Administrator Eddie Sheppard laid this out to the Shawano Leader in September. Anyone who wanted to reuse the building, he said, "has run into seeing what the costs would be to fix it up and learned it's not viable."
The plan approved in September works around both problems. The Spot is a seasonal, mostly open-air entertainment venue. It keeps the facade on Main Street, takes down most of what stands behind it, and points the new space toward Huckleberry Harbor and the channel between the Wolf River and Shawano Lake. Each piece of the plan follows from that one decision.
The Building That Outlasted Its Plans
Most people in town know 205 N. Main as one of the last empty storefronts on a block that has slowly been fixed up. City Editor Lee Pulaski called it "one of the last remaining eyesores" on the 200 block in his August 2026 NEW Media report. The building had a busier past. In a 2013 company history published by the Waupaca County Post, the grocery chain that became Tadych's Econofoods says it opened T&C Market Shawano in 1974. In 1978 it moved the store to "205 N. Main St. (Hub Shopping Center)."
By October 2025, the Shawano Redevelopment Authority had three new proposals on the table. One was a food-truck patio. Another was an antique mall with booths for up to 13 vendors. The third was a restoration that proposed putting the building on the "Register of Historical Places," as the Shawano Leader put it, and bringing back what its backers called the oldest vacant retail space in the city, with an endorsement from the Shawano County Historical Society. According to the Shawano Leader's October 2025 coverage, the authority met in closed session for almost an hour, had more questions about the building and made no choice that night. Published coverage doesn't say what happened to each plan after that. By September 2026, Sheppard was describing past efforts in general terms. "A lot of proposals have come and gone," he said.
None of the sources describe the building as individually listed on the National Register. The listed Main Street Historic District covers East Division Street and the 100 block and part of the 200 block of South Main. According to the Shawano County Historical Society, the remaining historic buildings on North Main don't hang together well enough to form a district, though some individual buildings could still prove significant.
Why Keeping the Facade Changes the Math
Justin Penfold, co-founder of Sakom in Shawano, brought The Spot to the Redevelopment Authority on Aug. 26, 2026. He put the cost at $350,000 to $500,000. He owns the project with Sergio Hernandez, who owns El Tequila and El Jefe.
The plan doesn't try to rescue two old buildings joined together. The new structure will be steel, built off site over the winter and assembled on Main Street once the weather warms up. Penfold described the venue as mostly open air and open during the warmer part of the year, though he added that it could be made weatherproof to stretch the season. A building that runs mainly in warm weather doesn't need the expensive work that made reusing the old one "not viable."
Sheppard said the city has had trouble finding a plan that would keep at least some of the historic building alive. He told the Shawano Leader it was "important to us to find someone who's willing to understand that can be an expensive endeavor to separate those two buildings." Penfold said the plan keeps as much green space as possible and gives the site a front that catches attention from both the road and the water.
The Deal Pays Out Only After It's Built
The Shawano Common Council signed off on the development agreement on Sept. 9, 2026. The city's risk is small, and nearly all of it waits until the project is finished.
| Term | What the agreement says |
|---|---|
| Price of the property | Deeded from the Redevelopment Authority to The Spot for $1 |
| City money | Up to $40,000 toward demolition, paid from Tax Increment District 9 funds |
| When the city pays | Once the project is complete |
| Deadline | June 30, 2027 |
| If the project isn't finished by then | The property goes back to the city by quitclaim deed |
| Loans from the city | None requested |
An earlier version of the terms, from the Redevelopment Authority's August vote, set a July 31, 2027 completion date. The agreement the council signed uses June 30, 2027.
The money comes from TID 9. The city's 2022 project plan describes it as a roughly 47-acre downtown district set up to fund redevelopment incentives, work on Franklin Park Plaza and more boat parking at Huckleberry Harbor. The Spot is aimed at that same harbor. Penfold said he hopes it will draw people boating the channel between the Wolf River and Shawano Lake.
What's Planned, Upstairs and Down
The venue is split by level and by time of day:
- Lower deck, open all day. A small boba shop, indoor and outdoor games for all ages that Penfold compared to Dave & Buster's, free games on the green space, and public restrooms.
- Food trucks. A different truck each day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with trucks coming back for the evening.
- Stage. A small stage for karaoke and community events. Penfold mentioned homecoming as one example.
- Upper deck, evenings only. An adult social area that looks out over Huckleberry Harbor.
- Container bar. A refurbished shipping container turned into an outdoor bar, used in the evenings.
- Private events. The space can also be booked.
Penfold told NEW Media that teenagers helped shape the list. "We did speak to a lot of teenagers about what they would like to see," he said. "They seem to be the biggest audience walking around town in small groups."
He also addressed the coffee shop next door. The boba counter is meant to stay small enough not to compete with The Daily Drip Coffeehouse at 215 N. Main St.
"We're not looking to take any business away from The Daily Drip. They've done a great job, and I think we can work hand in hand."
A Block That Has Been Filling In
The Spot is the newest step on a block that has been changing building by building. In December 2023, the council approved a Redevelopment Authority agreement for DotCom Branding to renovate buildings at 201 N. Main, the old Muehl property, with a $50,000 grant from the authority. The business had been at 142 S. Main since 2020. By October 2025, the Shawano Leader described DotCom Branding as operating at 201 N. Main, right next to 205. A few doors north, The Daily Drip got a new owner, Chloe Genske, as reported in the Shawano Country Chamber's April 2025 newsletter.
Mayor Bruce Milavitz backed the project when it came before the Redevelopment Authority. "I think it's a fantastic project, and I'm looking forward to seeing it," he told the Shawano Leader.
What to Watch This Winter
The agreement moved quickly in September because Penfold wanted demolition done before cold weather set in. Sheppard said that was the only way the venue could open by next summer. As of mid-October 2026, we haven't found a published report confirming that demolition has started. The schedule from here is easy to follow.
- This fall: the planned demolition, leaving the facade standing.
- Over the winter: the steel structure gets built off site.
- When the weather warms: it goes up on site.
- Next Memorial Day: Penfold's target opening date.
- June 30, 2027: the agreement's deadline, after which the property would go back to the city.
The Memorial Day date is a goal, not a promise. Because the agreement has a firm deadline, though, by next July 205 N. Main will be either a venue facing the harbor or city property again.
If you own a home in downtown Shawano or near the harbor and want to know how changes on North Main affect your property's value, Jim Liesner can walk you through the local numbers. Request a Free Home Valuation or Schedule a Free Consultation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
