These 3 Sheboygan County businesses trace their histories to the 1800s and remain today

SHEBOYGAN COUNTY — The Sheboygan area is a hub of memorial and impactful businesses, some that have gone and others that have stayed.

Department store H.C. Prange Co. was open from 1887 to 1992, when it then sold to the Boston Store, and Nemschoff Chairs operated for more than 70 years before closing this year.

Others, like Sargento and Old Wisconsin, recently celebrated 70 and 75 years of business, respectively, and have managed to keep going.

Large manufacturers like Kohler and Vollrath companies date back further, to the 1800s.

Here are a few other businesses that have historical footprints in the business community.

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Trilling Hardware started out as a trading post on North Eighth Street.

Trilling True Value Hardware, 901 Michigan Ave., was first a trading post on North Eighth Street near Center and Pennsylvania avenues in 1850, according to a 1976 Trilling story in the Sheboygan Press.

That trading post developed into a hardware store, joining the general store established by August Trilling on Michigan Avenue. The hardware store used sell to large wood and coal stoves, with employees picking them up from customers’ houses in the spring to be cleaned. They weighed about 700 pounds.

Trilling Hardware Co. underwent a significant remodel in 1960, with a 4,200-square-foot addition that expanded its in-store departments and added more offices.

The Trilling family grew its influence beyond Sheboygan, too. Hugo Trilling Jr., great-grandson of August Trilling, served as president of the Wisconsin Retail Hardware Association in 1990 and the business was a co-owner of Cotter and Co. of Chicago, a wholesale retailer for hardware goods.

Trilling witnessed changes in the industry, with electrical and plumbing industries dividing and competition from discount stores, and distinguished itself with various in-store services. Assisting people with tools and equipment for DIY projects and offering in-store services became the store’s bread and butter.

“I think the hardware business is the best business in the whole world,” Hugo Trilling said in 1990. “It’s a little less glamorous than some, but very down-to-earth, very practical.”

In the late 1980s, Trilling shared the street with a packaging store, a plumbing company and a tanning salon, all of which have since closed. It is one of few lasting businesses still there, in company with Johnnie’s Bike Shop, Hoffman’s Flowerland and Molly’s Cobbler Shop.

The Trilling family sold the store to Martens True Value Hardware, Inc., in 1995, changing the name to Trilling True Value Hardware. Today, the store offers a variety of hardware, electrical, houseware, paint, and lawn and garden products, and several services, like gear sharpening, pipe cutting, and glass and screen repair.

The Osthoff Resort property took a hiatus as a theater camp in the 1950s.

Before the Osthoff Resort became a AAA Four Diamond resort, it was a hotel and theater camp.

Originally the Osthoff Hotel, the property was founded by Otto and Paulina Osthoff in 1886, after they purchased farmland and built the current structure. Otto managed Milwaukee’s Schilz Park before that.

Cottages were built later on, frequented by dwellers from Chicago, Milwaukee and beyond, according to a 1955 Sheboygan Press news clip. It also became a popular destination for residents in neighboring towns, like Sheboygan Falls and Plymouth, who used an electric interurban line to get to the village.

Paula and Otto Just, the Osthoffs’ daughter and son-in-law, took over ownership in 1912. Paula maintained ownership through the Great Depression until her son Paul took over in 1934. The property of 60 acres and 19 buildings was bought by Chicago natives and sisters Sulie and Pearl Harand in 1955, converted into the Harand Camp of the Theater Arts. It operated until 1989.

In the latest Throwback Thursday: Over 40 Sheboygan County men were in the war zone when Pearl Harbor was attacked Dec. 7, 1941

The Osthoff land was a contentious topic throughout the village for the next several years, as the Dairyland Investor Group pushed for a $42 million “Project Osthoff” to renovate the property into a resort and housing. Some residents expressed concern about losing access to Lake Street and the beach, while others spoke to the resort’s potential to bolster the downtown economy.

Part of Lake Street was closed, which developers like Lou Gentine said was crucial to making the project happen. The 115-unit condo and resort hotel complex Osthoff Resort opened in summer 1995.

Later years have brought more suites, a conference room, restaurant and spa. The Aspira Spa was the only spa in Wisconsin included in the Spas of America’s top 100 spas last year. There have also been more events at the resort, including the Old World Christmas Market.

Quasius Construction took part in shopping center, manufacturing projects and more.

Quasius Construction Company, now led by Matt Quasius in its fourth generation of family leadership, has been integral to countless Sheboygan-area projects, many that are lasting today.

It was founded in 1891 by George Quasius, with a horse- and foot-powered saw, according to the company website. It was first a residential construction company, which then grew to incorporate commercial and industrial projects. George’s sons joined and the name changed to Quasius & Sons.

Notable projects in its early history include Sheboygan’s first shopping center in the 1950s, the Garton Toy Factory in the 1960s and reconstruction of The American Club. Quasius Construction was also involved with the Marcus Theatres on Kohler Memorial Drive, a new Levernz Shoes Company plant and H.C. Prange Company store projects.

The company’s work expands into education and health care sectors, pursuing projects like Pigeon River Elementary School and Pine Haven Christian Communities nursing home and memory care facility.

It has broadened services to facility maintenance, building additions and smaller scale projects, too, with a Special Projects team, to assist with new or remodeled spaces. Projects include Green Bicycle Co., Eb & Flo Coffeehouse and Entourage Spa & Salon.

Contact Alex Garner at 224-374-2332 or agarner@gannett.com. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @alexx_garner.

This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Trilling Hardware, Osthoff, Quasius among oldest Sheboygan businesses