Forgive me if this column seems very Downtown-centric, but that's where the news is happening right now. Downtown Racine had been in a bit of a slumber since last year.

But suddenly newsy things are happening - including shops soon to be shuttered, and potential progress in other spots. Here is a roundup.

Last act

After 33 years in business, the final curtain will soon fall for Act II Women's Resale. Owner and co-founder Rose Kaprelian has stopped taking any more consigned clothing and expects to turn out the lights for the last time when her merchandise is gone, probably in May.

"There is a recession," she said, so that's one reason for her decision. Also, the little shop sits at 610 College Ave., which means it is sandwiched between Sixth and Seventh streets. With Sixth Street under construction, "The road is closed right up to our door," she said.

And, when that two-year project is finished, the two-year construction of Seventh Street will follow on the shop's other side.

But Kaprelian said she made her final decision when her out-of-state landlord called to say the rent would be raised. "That was a sign from God," she said - even though the landlord later recanted and kept the rent stable.

"We've always done pretty good," said Kaprelian, who calls her employees "the girls." "We have never had a day without a sale."

She keeps the shop open only part time and closes it for the summer - when other Downtown businesses are trying to capitalize on tourism.

And her regular employees have two subs waiting in the wings. "Anybody can take off any time," Kaprelian said. "Nobody has to work."

That sounds like a fun place to work or shop. One customer, Kaprelian said, "sat down and cried" when she heard that Act II would close. "A lot of them say, 'What are we going to do?' "

For more information, call the shop at (262) 633-3311.

Galloping away

Another upcoming Downtown departure will be the Red Pony, 202 Fifth St. The shop will move to Lake Geneva on May 5.

Red Pony sells imported antiques from India - and its owners, David Mitchell and Kate Cole Buffington, got married on Monument Square, which the shop faces.

"We gave Racine two years, we met a lot of great people … it was a good place to start," Buffington said.

Personally, I'll miss Scooter, her little dog and constant companion at Red Pony. "Scooter was a drawing card," Buffington acknowledged.

Back to bistro

Joanie Stepanski now knows again what kind of business she's running.

That's because, after nearly a year of turmoil, Timothy York's Bistro is back to being a bistro.

It wasn't long after the bistro opened that its chef and Stepanski's partner, Lory Patin, began to be overtaken by the lung cancer that took her life on Thanksgiving Day.

With Patin unable to work the kitchen, Stepanski said, they pared and simplified the menu and began trying out a series of cooks. It was one failure after another.

Although all but one came with some culinary training, over the summer and fall, about eight different cooks did not work out. The problems, Stepanski said, ranged from one not being able to manage even the smaller menu, to one who did not clean the kitchen properly after work, to one who was drunk on the job.

"We were losing business hand over fist," Stepanski said. "It was really sad."

The next phase was a sports bar that struck out. They brought in a pool table and other sports paraphernalia. "We didn't really have an identity," Stepanski said. "We were half-bistro, half-sports bar. We didn't know what we were."

Stepanski was running the place herself in January when Tony Hall, former No. 2 chef at Waves, came in for a drink. "He fell into my lap," she said.

"We had the Food Channel on, and he made a few comments that clicked something in my brain."

"I said, 'You know, I'm looking for a chef.' " And Hall was looking to run his own kitchen. They worked it out, and he took over March 1.

Stepanski describes Hall's culinary creations as "Bold. He loves bold flavors. Probably two-thirds of the menu has some kind of kick to it."

For now, the bistro is serving dinners only, but Stepanski hopes to add the lunch hour before very long. And she's seeing progress - "some of our old customers and a lot of new faces, which is even better."

From XXX to ?

The former Racine News, Downtown's last adult book/video store, did not sit on the market long. Only about a month after that business closed, Doug and Sara Nicholson have closed on buying the four-story building.

Doug has some thoughts in mind of possibly using the building at 316 Main St. for an upscale club, one where people could dance. But he's not sure yet.

"It needs a lot of renovation," he said. "We have to get in there and rip it apart, make it nice. Once we're in there, we'll decide to do another business which adds to Racine's quality of life."

One thing he knows for sure: Whatever he starts there will not compete with his existing business, Ivanhoe Pub & Eatery.

Racine high-rise?

Several times since our recent coverage of the huge proposed lakefront Elizabeth Towers project, people have asked if I expect this project to actually get built.

This proposal, readers may recall, is for a 21-story combination condo-hotel, with lots of shop and office space and four floors of underground parking. It would occupy the block immediately south of the YMCA.

So, to answer the question: No.

Business reporter Michael Burke can be reached at (262) 631-1716 or by e-mail at mburke@journaltimes.com.

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