By my fifth trip to the Janesville area, the main streets had become increasingly more familiar. With my map tucked in my glove compartment, I parked in front of Milwaukee Street Used Books and went to meet with the owners.
Will and Kathy Krantz, a couple who has been married for 45 years, run their used bookstore as a retirement endeavor. The business began on the internet in 1998, but became a walk-in store in 2001 when the Krantz’s moved to Janesville. We talked about the challenges they’re currently facing, but also the importance of continuing to keep their doors open in Janesville.
“It’s not only because of the customers that come on a regular basis,” says Will, “but it’s to have something downtown when someone from Chicago or one of the suburbs is taking a daytrip and wants to go somewhere. This is a good destination; if there’s nothing open, why would they come?”
Behind the Scenes Dispatch by:
Zahra Haider, a member of the EngageWisconsin team
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PARTICIPATE: If you are a resident of Janesville, Wisconsin, or Rock County and you’re interested in sharing your story or the story of your business or organization, please contact Zahra Haider via email for more information. More specifically, we are also looking for high school students who might be interested in using a Flip camera to interview their family, friends, and neighbors to tell the story of their life in Janesville.
The JANESVILLE STORYTELLING PROJECT has been inspired by Digital Nation, a Frontline documentary, and Milwaukee-based 371 Production’s As Goes Janesville. Wisconsin Public Television’s EngageWisconsin team seeks to give a face to the current, post-GM situation in Janesville; to give the community a chance to respond to that negative press from the recent past, which frequently depicted Janesville as a permanently ruined city; and to explore the relationship of technology and people within a Mid-American city in flux.
