Making the Official Announcement
Milwaukee is a city of festivals, culture, creativity, music, and nightlife. This is something BrownStone Social Lounge provides for its community. Located in Downtown Milwaukee at 524 N. Water St, BrownStone is a hub for the 30-year-old plus club to network, relax, and enjoy all that Milwaukee has to offer.
BrownStone, originally owned by Corey Smith, has transitioned to a new owner within the last year. As of August 2023, Jona Moore is the owner of BrownStone. It took Moore a complete year before she publically announced the promotion. Smith stayed the face of the establishment to ease customers into the new leadership. Little did people know, Moore has been calling the shots at BrownStone for the last few years.
Moore has been receiving great feedback since announcing her transition. Customers say BrownStone still feels the same.
“I want BrownStone to continue being a staple in the community,” said Moore.
Smith approached Moore in 2019 to become BrownStone’s new owner; Moore denied the offer. A year later, in 2020, as the world began reopening after the pandemic, Smith approached Moore once again. This time Moore took some time to consider the offer and spoke to her father about it. After speaking with her dad, Moore realized she feared owning a bar. Though she felt unready, her dad said that this second chance was meant to be.
Moore’s father was once a bar owner and Moore helped manage it. She felt unprepared to manage and relied on guessing what her father would do.
Moore was experiencing imposter syndrome as she decided on ownership but Smith helped her through that. She then spent three years as BrownStone’s general manager receiving hands-on training from Smith.
“Corey’s a huge and pivotal part to my journey and my success,” said Moore. “Corey has the gift of pouring into people…he saw what I was capable of.”
Creating and Maintaining A Diverse Customer Base
BrownStone has maintained a steady and loyal customer base over the years. BrownStone’s clientele includes young professionals, retired executives, leaders in the community, musicians, and sports fans. Moore credits her staff and the DJs for creating an environment where patrons feel safe. She said one moment the music could go from The Gap Band to Lil Wayne to satisfy all customers.
“Music plays a huge role in the crowd that you draw,” said Moore.
As a Downtown lounge, BrownStone is highly recommended by Uber drivers and nearby hotels for incoming visitors. BrownStone gives newcomers a taste of Milwaukee’s culture. Along with a full-service bar, BrownStone is known for its food menu.
Future BrownStone Plans
Along with owning BrownStone, Moore is the Vice President of the African American Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin. Moore runs and oversees programming offered to minority entrepreneurs in the City of Milwaukee. Moore recognizes the need for more entrepreneurial resources and plans to use BrownStone to spotlight entrepreneurs.
“You can never have too much support, too much exposure,” said Moore.
This could be networking and vending events.
“I think that BrownStone can be a staple in the community for more than one thing,” said Moore. “It doesn’t just have to be a bar.”
She added to be patient with Black-owned businesses and give them grace because nobody is perfect.
“Understand that everything is a journey and BrownStone is a journey,” she said.
Nyesha Stone founded Carvd N Stone in 2017 to cover positive news while attending the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Stone has a B.A. in Journalism. She has raised over $30,000 to award grants and scholarships. She has also been featured in ESSENCE and worked with the American Black Film Festival.
