Joe Brehm

It seems as if time has stood still when you walk into the unmarked bar on Wells Street across from Real Chili. The gold-flecked mirrors and the black leather booths that line the red-carpeted walls are hallmarks of what owner Joe Brehm describes as "a true cocktail lounge." The only immediate clue that you're not in the '70s is the neon-rainbow Miller Lite Pride sign. Sitting at a small, round table under a hanging stained-glass lamp, Brehm dispelled the mystery behind the bar's name.

Joe Brehm, son of founder June Brehm, managed and later owned the Milwaukee bar This Is It, running it as a steady supporter of the gay community until his death in April 2016.