The past year has been a busy one for Sheenna Kleveno and Michael Taylor. For starters, the couple got married. On top of that, they’ve been hard at work on their new tabletop gaming bar, The Familiar Place, located in the former Black Rose space at 2856 N. Oakland Ave. First announced last summer, The Familiar Place missed its projected 2025 opening, but Kleveno and Taylor stress that the still-under-construction bar is coming soon—possibly as soon as April.
“Trust me, we hear you guys, we want to be open, too,” Kleveno says on a blustery March afternoon, referring to a year’s worth of inquisitive emails and texts. “We don’t like this place to be empty.”
“People ask us when we want to be open, and we’re like, last September?” Taylor adds with a laugh.
The reasons for the delay are nothing out of the ordinary: license applications, permits on top of permits, the slow crawl of City Hall. But when The Familiar Place does open, Kleveno and Taylor intend it to be a cozy, welcoming gathering place for the local gaming community. Tabletop games, card games, retro video games, and even some arcade and pinball games will all be part of the new East Side establishment.
“We just want to have a place for people to come and hang out, be themselves, play games, have fun, and meet other people,” Taylor says.
While Taylor admits that Milwaukee’s gaming scene has changed in the past year—Old Guard Games has become an established hub for hardcore miniature gaming, indie gaming store Tabletop Bookshelf recently opened in Walker’s Point—he sees The Familiar Place filling a still-existing hole left by gaming bars 42 Lounge and 42 Ale House, both of which closed in 2020.
“We’ve actually gone to a couple of local game stores and filled them in with what we’re going for,” Taylor says. “They’re like, ‘Hey, cool! Let us know when you’re open so we can spread the word for you!’ So we’re not really stepping on anybody’s toes, because we’re kind of in our own little niche.”
The Familiar Place will be an all-ages establishment, serving alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. On the non-alcoholic side of things, expect a “good mocktail menu” and a “robust selection of craft sodas.” For those 21 and over, expect plenty of themed cocktails, craft beer, and more.
But the true focus of The Familiar Place will be games, of course. It will boast its own collection of board and card games—as well as a small retail and merch component—but it will also be a place where folks can bring in their own games. A large back room will accommodate most of the action, though games can be played almost anywhere. Lockers will be available for long-running legacy games and campaigns.
“Are you looking for a place to have a six-person board game night, but your dorm room isn’t big enough? Come on in, we’ve got the space,” Kleveno told us last year.
“We’re going to do Friday night Magic and things like that,” Taylor added last year. “We’re also going to do tabletop stuff. I plan on running Dungeons & Dragons Adventurers League every other week, and then on opposite weeks another system that’s not as well-known. People can try things like Blades In The Dark, Torg, or Daggerheart.”
A lounge area will feature a large screen for multiplayer Nintendo Switch games. Nearby booths will have their own screens hooked up to retro consoles like the Sega Genesis and N64.
“If anybody wants to suggest games, whether it’s a video or a board game, feel free to email or text us and be like, ‘Hey, can you get this game for the bar?'” Kleveno says.
As for the name, Kleveno and Taylor explain that “The Familiar Place” has two meanings.
“We’re big cat people. We’re owned by five cats,” Kleveno told us last year. “Our oldest one has always been the ‘familiar’ of the family. It loves my daughter, and it was my daughter who came up with the idea to have the cat be a mascot for the bar. So the ‘familiar’ in The Familiar Place represents the ‘familiar’ that is the cat. But it’s also a play on words, because The Familiar Place will be a place to familiarize yourself with and come back to.”
But before people can come back to The Familiar Place, they have to make their first visit. Again, both Kleveno and Taylor stress that their doors will be open soon.
“We want to be open, we want people in here,” Kleveno says. Adds Taylor, “We’re just waiting on a couple of final things, and as soon as we get them we’ll be good to go.”
Want more Milwaukee Record? Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter and/or support us on Patreon.
RELATED ARTICLES
• New gaming bar, The Familiar Place, planned for Oakland Avenue