Manitowoc’s Louie’s Sporting Goods has served the outdoorsman for 81-years but that long run will be coming to an end December 23rd.
Bruce Elliott explains that his father, Bob, purchased the northside sporting goods store from Louie Stangel in 1960. And, after his dad died in 1983, Bruce took over the reins of the operation. But, in doing some reminiscing he disclosed that he actually began working at the store as a kid on Saturdays. He said he started working at 8 years old.
“My pay was ten cents an hour and I got to go to the Elbow Room and get a hamburger and a coke for lunch,” Elliot said. “It was the greatest thing ever because I could get two hamburgers and a coke.”
Louie’s is conducting a store-closing sale through next Thursday. Elliott fought-back emotions as he recalled many steady customers who became life-long friends. “Just people who were return customers for years and years that came back. They never thought about going any place else,” Elliot recalled. “There were a lot of highlights including the days of snag fishing in the 1970’s.”
He explained “we’d be here from 5:00 in the morning until 10:00 at night for a month and a half, dealing with thousands of fishermen who would come into Manitowoc.”
Elliott recalled that Manitowoc had 4 full-time sporting goods stores back in the early 1980’s, “And eventually boom, boom, they all fell out. We ended up buying out most of them and we’re the last man standing. Time is done. I can remember Green Bay had Bertrands, Nikolai, Olson, Bob’s Bait & Tackle. They were bigger stores than we were and they’ve all disappeared.”
He says the big box stores haven’t bothered him over the years, but online purchasing has been a factor. Elliott holds the wonderful distinction of being Lincoln High School’s last state tennis champion when he combined with doubles partner Paul Kobelt for the crown in 1974, an achievement of which he’s very proud.
When asked about future plans, Bruce said he and his wife, Bernadette or ‘Bea’ as she’s known, will be moving north to Hiles, Wisconsin where they’ve had a cabin the past 30-years.
Bruce explained that he hopes to sell the building within 6-months and move into a new home in the northwoods, where he can continue to enjoy hunting and fishing in future years.
