LIFESTYLE OPEN HOUSE
Photos by Michael Burmesch.
Andrea Zysk transformed her 2.5-car garage into a bar to entertain friends.
This Milwaukee Garage Is Simply “Wunderbar!” MEET THE HOMEOWNER WHO TURNED A LITTLE BIT OF EXTRA SPACE INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD’S MOST POPULAR BAR. BY MARK HAGEN
M
ilwaukee’s Andrea Zysk thinks outside the box, or, in this case, outside the rec room. A desire to beat the pandemic blues led Zysk to transform her southside Garden District garage into a neighborhood pub. “When COVID hit, I decided to utilize my garage to create a safe outdoor place for small groups of friends,” she explains.
Zysk already had a tiny bar in her 2.5-car garage but started to enhance the area in 2020. “The original bar was a kitchen island, two bar stools and a small fridge. When a friend suggested I expand the garage bar, I thought it was a great idea.” In fact, Zysk credits a lot of her bar’s development to friends. “People were so excited about the concept, they’d 76 | SHEPHERD EXPRESS
contact me about bars, stools and beer signs they found,” she says. “For example, a friend found a large bar on Facebook Marketplace for $90. It took four of us to move it to my house since it’s so heavy, but it’s perfect. “The owner of Club Charlie’s gave me some bar stools he had in storage as well as a few bar signs and glasses,” she adds. “When I stopped at the Drunk Uncle in West Allis, I told the owner about my garage bar and showed him photos. He gave me several things, including a New Glarus sign, a bar mat and a sleeve of coasters.” While the décor of the bar came together somewhat easily, the shiplap-like walls were more cumbersome. “Since lumber was expensive, I decided to use wood
from pallets,” Zysk says. “My friend found 50 free pallets and rented a trailer to pick them up. It took us two days to cut the pallets apart and pull out all the nails.” Plywood sheets were fixed to the garage’s studs, and the pallet wood was nailed on one piece at a time.
WELCOME TO WUNDERBAR Every good bar needs a good name, and this homemade hot spot is no exception. Ultimately, Zysk decided on a name that pays homage to her late, German-immigrant father. “My dad passed away when I was 21,” she shares. “He was very social and loved a good time. He built a bar in the basement of our family home, and we had some memorable parties there.
Background by olga_hmelvska/Getty Images.
