81 Market expands

WAUPACA – 81 Market on County Trunk QQ in King is getting a new addition in back. The boutique shop also serves cocktails and wine. Customers can sip on some merlot or a bloody Mary while browsing through the eclectic inventory of goods and gifts or go outside and hangout in the patio area out front. There is also an upstairs loft with some seating. There used to be a back deck but that area is now being turned into a lounge.
“It was great in the summertime and early for people to sit outside and have drinks. What was happening when I had people coming later into the fall—I’m open until Christmas—there was nowhere for them sit. What really solidified it [the new addition] for me, I had about eight people come in and they were sitting on the floor upstairs. I have a seating area up there but it wasn’t enough. You can only walk around the store so much and then you want to sit and talk to a friend,” said owner Lori Sasse.
The new addition will also better traffic flow throughout the shop. The current bar is positioned about midway in the shop and it creates a chokepoint for shoppers.
Last year they hosted a Whitetail Valley beef slider day. The line of people snaked through the shop and out the door. It was obvious more space was needed.
The new addition is almost complete and is planned to be open by early October if everything goes well with state inspectors. Strongwoood is the main contractor; Bauer Electric put in the wiring, Chain O’ Lakes Plumbing laid the pipes, and Luke Seeger did the flooring and fine woodworking.
Customers walk to the back of the store and down a ramp into the new lounge. There is a bar area and the exterior doors open up to a concrete patio. The area will be a combination retail area and cocktail space with bistro seating and lounge seating. A flat-screen TV will have Packer games on in the background. They have charcuterie boards and eventually they will have a tapas-style menu.
“Our goal is to be a more intimate place to hang with your friends,” said Sasse.