Surprising Stuff
Fancy Fair Mall is under new ownership and big changes are in the works.
The classic brick building, at 830 West Main Street, has been a part of the downtown district since the 1930s. It actually started off as a Montgomery Ward. When Montgomery Ward left the building, it was sold, and the Fancy Fair Mall was created. The mall has been an iconic part of Lake Geneva’s downtown for many years, housing some very unique shops, boutiques, and a gallery. Recently the building was purchased again, and new ideas from the new owners are becoming a reality. The Fancy Fair Mall will be rebranded and brought into the 21st century with a new name, and all. The façade of the building will be updated, painted, awnings changed, and new signage inside and out.
The new name; “The Market of Lake Geneva,” is aimed at providing a place for locals, as well as tourists and visitors, to come and get some essentials and do some specialty shopping. The interior will stay a mall, with renovations highlighting the building’s original beauty. Some of the stores are changing, but the goal is to cater to local artisans and merchants. Spring has almost sprung and new life at the Market of Lake Geneva may be seen as soon as the summer season of 2021 begins in earnest.
It seems Spring is making an early appearance this year.
Lake Geneva’s been blessed with two weeks of beautiful weather and has another ten days of mid to high 40’s to look forward to. It’s hard to believe that, at the last public works meeting, Lake Geneva already has had seventeen total snowfalls this winter, with nine in February alone. Last winter there was a total of nineteen snow events. Spring officially starts Saturday, March 20th, which is determined by the vernal equinox occurring on that date, when the amount of daylight and darkness are equal. This is also a great reminder that daylight saving begins at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 14th. Soon the new baby birds will be learning to sing, flowers will be growing and blooming.
Buddy and Rhonda Francis, from Ponte Vedra, Florida, visited Lake Geneva during the time of Winterfest 2021.
The full letter they wrote to our paper and other retailers, hotels, and restaurants they had contact with is worthy of the additional insert you are getting with this edition. We also wanted to make sure the part of the letter about the GSR and its staff was historically entered into the body of the paper itself:
In early January, when we began planning our trip to Lake Geneva, Rhonda searched the internet for information about Lake Geneva and found the YouTube videos of Lisa Otto, Jen Lepkowski, and George Belushi, Jr. filming the local weather reports. They are fantastic! Each day we found ourselves excitedly watching and listening to their information and ‘down-home’ commentary and seeing parts of the Lake Geneva area. In the weeks prior to the Winterfest Festival, watching the GSR each day added to our excitement of coming to Wisconsin. While we were shopping one day, we actually had the delightful surprise of a ‘by chance’ meeting of Lisa, Jen, and George at a coffee/bicycle shop downtown. They were very gracious with sharing their hospitality and our time of conversation was a great pleasure. We expressed to them that they do a spectacular job, and it was joy for us to watch their videos and to meet them in person was a wonderful added bonus.”
Buddy and Rhonda Frances, Ponte Vedra, Fl.