Don's TV & Repair: The Milwaukee Speakeasy that takes you down memory lane

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A local diner and speakeasy that operates under the disguise of an outdated tv and repair shop has become one of Milwaukee's must-see hidden gems.

Don's TV and Repair is located on the city's southeast side, and contrary to its name, no worker there is a certified electronics technician.

One of the managers, Sean Willie, described the concept as 'retro.'

"People are coming here for, maybe an escape or maybe a connection, or maybe just a fun time," he said.

In 2018, the restaurant originally opened as 'Don's Diner & Cocktails.

"That was kind of our 50s era named after one of our partners' grandfathers, who, as we like to say it was 'an all around diner guy,'" Willie added.

In 2020, after shutting down for a few months, they reopened as 'Dons Grocery & Liquor' store, and later changed the idea entirely into a speakeasy.

"We tried to find through antique stores or eBay, or just looking around and it turned into kind of a fun project of locating… some old signs and all these old TVs," he said. "We brought it forward a few decades and tried to think of something that would grab people's attention from the street that may or may not be around anymore."

For those who know it's a speakeasy now, once you say the secret code, you're immediately transported back to the '80s.

"The password you gotta, you gotta know someone," Willie said. "We'll try to help you out as much as possible but if you do a little digging, you'll be able to find it."

He said the space is a reminder of the 'good ol' days.'

"Maybe you're going down memory lane talking about the time you remember staying up late as a '90s kid playing video games until the wee hours of the morning, or having a movie night with all your friends and having them come over and bring the candy," he said.

At Don's TV & Repair, you can find a dedicated Jackie Chan and Star Wars wall, a Super Mario corner, stacks of popular VHS movies on display, and old gaming consoles surrounded by hanging toy gremlins.

"We found the gremlins on eBay, the original one, and then we reached out to the provider of the business who is making these, from kind of the old props for the actual movie, but then a lot of the electronics, the disk or the original mogwai was donated by guests who loved the concept and had come back," Willie explained.

The crazy food ensemble also gets a lot of rave.

"Going over the top with our shakes and just making a darn good burger," Willie said, is what they are known for.

Willie went on to say that the speakeasy is often an educational experience for kids who've never seen a TV with antennas or used floppy disks.

"Here's a VCR or a Gameboy, or things you've never heard of and now we're telling you about what this retro electronic equipment is or how, you know, we used to have to talk on the phone with a cord connected to it," he chuckled.

Its nostalgic vibe connects people and takes them to a happy place.

"Anybody that does come in and sees the old games on the wall, or the posters, has their own story and they're sharing it with their table, they're sharing it with their neighbor, they're sharing it with our staff," Willie said.