Langlade County, Wisconsin - Chapter 30, 1922

Chapter 30

Business Firms of Today - Location - Organization - Commercial Associations - Business Men's Association of 1885 - Mercantile Protective Association - Old Commercial Club - Fifteen Thousand Club - Association of Commerce.

History, it is said, repeats itself. The pioneer merchant, anxious to supply the demand of a critical public, handled many and diverse articles. A suit of clothes or a sack of oats could be purchased at the same store. As time passed business house in Antigo began to specialize in one line of goods. Today, however, firms are reverting to the pioneer method, viz., the purchasing of any article desired under the same roof. Thus came into existence the modern department store. The A. Goldberg Department store, organized in 1887, once located in the Goldberg building. Fifth Avenue and Edison Street, was the only department store that developed with the city, since 1887. A. Goldberg erected the brick building, corner of Clermont Street and Fifth Avenue, and moved from it in 1907.

The E. Wigderson Department store was opened in the Hill Building, Antigo, in 1903. E. Wigderson has two other stores, one at St. Paul, Minn., and another at Rhinelander, Wis.

M. Krom & Son are early Antigo merchants, the former coming here in 1888. The present store opened as Krom & Slepyan in 1912 and M. Krom & Son commenced business in 1913.

The J. C. Penney Company opened a store in the Kratche Bldg., 717 Fifth Avenue, April 27, 1920. C. Melgaard came here from Williston, North Dakota, and assumed the management. Eight regular employes are on the clerical force.

R. J. Leutsker, pioneer druggist, present organization started 1913; J. F. Albers, bought out R. J. Leutsker, April 2, 1890; City Drug Store, John Mc- Carthy, organized February 11, 1901, corner Fifth Avenue and Clermont Street; A. A. Leuck Drug Store, 705 Fifth Ave., purchased from J. C. Spencer in 1911; C. D. Gauthier Drug Store, purchased from E. E. Williams in 1913.

Furniture And Undertakers

McCandless & Zobel, E. McCandless and Robert Zobel, props., 717 Fifth Avenue, organized in April, 1904; Muttart-McGillan Company, H. B. Muttart and T. T. McGillan, props., Krom Bldg., organized November, 1918, outgrowth Antigo Furniture Company, or-, ganized July 1, 1912.

Anton Molle, started with J. Braun, October, 1894, 1897 bought out latter, now known as Molle's Jewelry, 821 Fifth Avenue; L. D. Dana Jewelry Company, Ullman bldg., organized March, 1888; Charles Braun Jewelry, Neff-Roberts bldg., started in 1910; J. F. Breitenstein. Jeweler, organized in 1905.

Antigo Grocers

Grocery, started in 1907, Edison Street entrance, Goldberg building; C. A. Maertz Grocery, 1501 Neva Road, started April 15, 1918; Mosher Grocery, Borgman (Butterfield bldg.l, started Fe-bruary 2, 1918; Langlade Farmers' Co-operative Company, Superior Street; Schroeder Grocery, corner of Fourth Avenue and Deleglise Street, started in August, 1922; Fred Boldt's Grocery, 351 Field Street, started July 6, 1916; Albert Winter's South Side Grocery, started at 710 Maple Street November 2 ,1918; L. Krom Produce Company, Edison Street; J. A. Rudolph, Fifth Avenue, started fall of 1888; Antigo Grocery Co., Helmbrecht & Clifford, Props., started in September, 1922.

Hardware Stores

John Benishek & Son, 718 Fifth Avenue, organized January, 1915, outgrowth of John Benishek Real Estate office, started in 1890; Morse & Tradewell Company, Molle-Albers bldg., started October, 1907; Radtke Realtor, Harry E. Radtke, prop., started February 28, 1921; Mose A. Jansen Agency, started January 1, 1921, 723 Fifth Avenue; Fred W. Kiefer, started in 1906, present location, February, 1921; Joseph Duchac. Sr., started in 1880, 1043 Fifth Avenue; N. R. Babcock, 232 Field Street, started in 1901; James Gagen, Fidelity Bank Bldg., started in 1913; Crandell & Arveson, Fifth Ave, organized in 1922; C. E. Loper, 328 Lincoln Street; Paul Thompson and S. B. Ullman, considerable real estate dealing; Whiting & Dempsey, insurance; John McGreer, for years local Baldwin estate representative; W. J. Hammond, real estate; E. H. Palmer, opened on April 1, 1902. Other agents are Z. T. Bagby, Geo. W. Schmitz, J. J. Joslynn, M. T. Canfield and Harry Carpenter.

Abstract Companies

The Langlade County Abstract Company, J. W. Brown, prop.. First National Bank Bldg., started July 1, 1905, originally organized February, 1905, by Fred Hayssen; The Antigo Abstract Title Company, organized April 28, 1921, Fidelity Bank Bldg.

Flour And Feed Stores

A. L. Lauby, August, 1915; Frank Krause, Krause bldg., started March, 1914; McCandless Feed Store, purchased from E. Yahr in November, 1920, located 602 Fifth Avenue.

Clothing Firms Ladies' Shops

Werner's Shop for Ladies, J. Werner, prop.. Butterfield bldg., organized September 16, 1916; The Style Shop, I. Cohen, prop., organized February 13, 1913.

Fruit Stores

Palace Garage, Reed & Shubert, props., since November, 1921, March 15, 1921, it opened as Kernohan & Shubert, George Kernohan retired July, 1921, business at 807 Fifth Avenue; Van Doren Motor Car Company, C. W. Van Doren, Prop., organized May, 1915, located at Superior Street and Sixth Avenue; Buick Garage, E. H. Maxson, prop., 526 Clermont Street, opened August 18, 1918; Kelly Motor Sales Co., H. J. Kelly, prop., Edison Street, started in 1920; Othersall & Sorenson, Sixth Avenue and Superior Street, opened in 1917; Antigo Hdw. Garage, started in 1914; The General Garage, Dorczeski & Kielcheski, props., 524 Superior Street, opened in 1922; Marathon Motor Car Co., started December, 1918, location Fourth Avenue and Edison Street; East Side Garage, Frank Schoblasky, prop., opened July, 1922.

Priebe Brothers, A. Priebe and H. Priebe, 508 Superior Street, organized in 1910; Antigo Sheet Metal Works, John Koudelka, prop., organized in 1905, located Neff-Roberts building.

Auto Liveries Bakery Shops

Frederich Gunkel Bakery, 506 Superior Street, organized November, 1908; The Antigo Bakery, Carl Zech, prop., started August, 1915; The West Side Bak- ery, M. W. Noack, prop., purchased from Maertz & Jesse in 1907, located 1024 Fifth Avenue; The Honne Bakery, A. H. Murten, prop., purchased from H. Finch, November 24, 1921; Sanitary Bakery, started May, 1919.

Meat Markets

Klemann's Market, Peter Klemann, prop., 810 Fifth Avenue, opened March 1, 1920; Palace Meat Market, L. P. Kieffer. prop., opened March 24, 1919, at 907 Fifth Avenue; Vogel Market, A. H. Vogel, prop., since 1912; Wm. Bork, 510 Superior Street, started March, 1902; Ryder & Ry-nders, Superior Street, started September, 1921 ; Collins Brothers, 1022 Superior Street, purchased Havlicek & Capek on November 15, 1921; West Side Market, J. Huenik, prop., started December, 1921, 1037 Fifth Avenue; The City Meat Market, J. M. Kubichek, prop., 1009 Fifth Avenue, opened July 1, 1922; Waste & Kadow Shop, Fifth Avenue, opened by Lee Waste and Ed Kadow in May, 1922.

Book And 10-Cent Stores

L. D. Hartford Store, L. D. Hartford, prop., sole prop, since July, 1922, located at 729 Fifth Avenue; F. W. Woolworth Store, located at 824-826 Fifth Avenue, opened September 16, 1921 ; The McLellan Stores Co., opened November 7, 1921, (successor to Metropolitan Stores, Inc.) located 820-822 Fifth Avenue, C. A. Howell, prop.; News Stand, Mrs. L. E. Johnson, prop, since April 16, 1920.

Soft Drink Parlors

Anton Cornelius Stand, 710 Fifth Avenue, bought from Frank Augustin in 1922; Suick's, "The Club," 908 Fifth Avenue, established by I. Suick in 1890, operated by Phil Suick since death of I. Suick; Maltby

Frey Brothers, Elmer and Earl Frey, succeeded their father, William Frey, who operated for many years in Antigo; Antigo Cafe, Peter Rouman, prop., opened in 1916, Mr. Rouman purchased from Miss Anne Helmbrecht in fall, 1921, located at 827 Fifth Avenue; Depot Lunch Counter, C. & N. W. depot; Kupper's Lunch Room, Theo. Kupper, prop; A. L. Lauby's Lunch Stand at Suick's; Seis & Grossman's Stand; Anderson's Restaurant, Morse Street, opened May, 1922; Ye White Grille, started in September, 1922, Fifth Avenue and Dorr Street by Romeis Brothers.

Tailor Shops

J. W. Herman Tailor Shop, Hill Bldg., oldest in Antigo, started May, 1897; R. A. Rassmussen's Shop, Fifth Avenue; Keen Tailor Shop, successor to T. R. Atkins, opened May, 1922; Mrs. Paetzer Shop, Superior Street, opened 1922.

Electric Shops Harness Shops

James Jensen Shop, 619 Fifth Avenue, operated since November 15, 1913, and Frank Riendl, 827 Fifth Avenue, who has been in business since spring 1903.

Antigo Barber Shops

The Ladies Specialty Shop, known also as The Quality Shop, opened July 30, 1921, at 722 Fifth Avenue, and has proven popular. Mrs. Alice Walker, a thirty year resident of Antigo, has associated with her Miss Dorothy Parsons, twenty years an Antigo resident. Miss Myrtle Otis has a Quality Art Shop, conducted since April, 1922, in the Greisch building.

The Gift Shop, Mrs. R. Koebke, prop., opened in May, 1916, in the Molle-Albers bldg., and enjoys a fine patronage. Antigo milliners are: Mrs. Wahl, Molle-Albers bldg., started in March, 1900; Miss Nan Miner in Style Shop; and Mrs. Lillian Koelzer, who in September, 1895, succeeded her mother, Mrs. M. A. Ferguson, who ran the store from 1882.

Coal And Wood Dealers

Dakin & Strong, George Dakin and B. H. Strong, Props., Field Street, successors to Farnham & Yahr, started September 1, 1919; Mehne & Neilson, started 1921, successors to Mehne & OthersoU and Donohue Coal and Wood Co., 1005 Fifth Avenue; Duchac Coal & Wood Co., started spring of 1917; Quinlan Coal & Wood Co., Carroll and E. A. Quinlan, Props., started in 1920.

Pacific Ice Cream Co., 612 Clermont Street, Harry Quackenbusch, Prop., started in 1911; Heyl's Dairy Store, W. C. Heyl, Prop., started January 9, 1922, Greisch Bldg.; J. H. Howe Creamery, J. H. Howe, Prop., started in Antigo township spring of 1908, in the city of Antigo, April, 1921 ; Antigo Dairy, 235 Lincoln Street, E. J. and H. W. Byrne, Props., started August 1, 1914; East Side Dairy, Claude Clifford and L. Tibbetts, Props., started April, 1922; Antigo-Sheboygan Dairy Products Co., A. A. Kriewaldt, Prop., started September, 1921, at 612 Fifth Avenue; Green's Dairy, H. W. Green, Prop., started Antigo township, 1904; Klessig's Dairy, Antigo township, E. Klessig, Prop., started April, 1921.

Confectionery Business

The L. J. Koles Candy Company, located at 608 Dorr street, organized April 29, 1919; Princess Parlors, 731 Fifth Avenue, Louis and John Sarris, props., purchased Peter Papadakis, January 1, 1921; Adraktas Sweet Shop, Chris. Adraktas, Prop., opened in 1916.

Vulcanizing Shops

Bishop & Mentch, Clermont Street, started spring of 1922; Dan Keen Tire Shop, 612 Superior Street, started fall of 1917; The Antigo Tire Repair Shop, A. H. Sengstock, Prop., 1913; Bretl Tire Shop, Superior Street, G. Bretl, Prop., opened in 1921.

Transfer Lines

1920, located at 613 Edison Street; R. M. Briggs Transfer, 831 Fifth Avenue, established in 1887; The Service Transfer Line, Robert Briggs, Prop., started March, 1922; Jess Garland Line, established in 1921.

Potato Warehouses

Bain & Company, Morse Street; Penny Warehouse, Edison Street; N. Ginsberg, Dorr Street; Leonard, Crosset & Riley, rear of Edison Street, between Fourth and Fifth Avenues.

Ginseng Buyers Potato Buyers

Prosser Brothers, Nathan Ginsberg, L. Ginsberg, David Bain, D. C. Dewey, A. Penny Co., L. Starks Co., Homer Beattie, M. Mageland, for Leonard, Crosset & Riley.

Railroad Officials

J. L. Leppla, Superintendent of Ashland Division; F. Doner, Assistant Superintendent of Ashland Division; A. L. Sohrweide, Chief Clerk to Superintendent; J. T. Fitzgerald, Chief Train Dispatcher, Antigo; J. Eva, Chief Train Dispatcher, Ashland; W. B. Murrary, Assistant Superintendent, Ashland; C. H. Perry, Division Engineer; Ben Bradley, Chief Clerk to Division Engineer; E. C. Larzelere, Agent at Antigo; Thomas Cavanaugh, Yardmaster at Antigo; W. E. Peterson, foreman of Antigo Rour.dhouse; E. H. Hadler, Superintendent of Telegraph; A. K. Potter, Purchasing Agent for the C. & N. W. over many divisions; F. Slater, Kaukauna. Master Mechanic; W. A. Brandt, Roadmaster, subdivision No. 1; H. Van Gorder, Roadmaster, subdivision No. 2; C. S. McConnel, Rradmaster, subdivision No. 3; G. Darrow, Roadmaster, subdivision No. 4; A. L. Kickhaefer, Roadmaster, subdivision No. 5; Division Accountant, Frank T. Lynde; Assistant Division Accountant, Edgar Van Gorder.

Soft Drink Factories Antigo Hotels

Hotel Butterfield, R. T. Marson, Prop.; The Hoffman House, Frank Hoffman, prop.; Schneiter's (new) Hotel, F. G. Schneiter, prop.; The Market Square Hotel, William Reader, prop.; The Bacon House, C. G. Bacon, prop.; The Hanousek Hotel, John Hanousek, Jr., prop.; The American House, B. W. Rynders, prop.; The Northern Hotel, J. W. Benes, prop.

The First Of Many Things Commercial

Circus - Col. G. W. Hall's U. S. & Great Eastern Consolidated shows, the first circus to visit Antigo and Langlade County, exhibited June 16, 1884.

Commercial Organizations

This was followed by other important civic and commercial associations, which lasted a few years and were replaced. The more important of these were the Mercantile Protective Association, organized April 14, 1893, the 15,000 Club, a real estate unit, organized February 26, 1908, and the old Commercial Club, which while not active, still exists.

The Antigo Association of Commerce was organized in January, 1917, and W. J. Gallon was elected first President, which office he still retains. Offices of the Association are in the Hill Building. Other officers are: Vice-President - Fred L. Berner; Treasurer - Frank G. Wanek; Secretary - Mrs. L. E. Dickensen; Directors - A. A. Lueck, Chairman, F. G. Wanek, Dr. F. C. Kestly, Chas. Cody and C. 0. Miller. Meetings are held monthly.