LETTER: Port once had daily bakeries, the downtown needs one now

To Ozaukee Press:

I wish to thank the Biever Travel family and their knowledgeable and friendly employees for supporting Port Washington with a successful travel business for over 46 years. I am sad that the pandemic has caused them uncertainty for the future of their business. They will be missed.

With the increase of residents to our beautiful downtown, and because shopping locally is key for the city’s enhancement, a local bakery would be a perfect fit in the Biever Travel location.

We need a bakery that is open daily and offers breads and buns, specialty cakes and special orders. We need a bakery for the fisherman who can pick up a few crullers, long johns and fruit and cheese Danish early in the morning on their way to the lake for their morning catch. We need a bakery that supports families that wish to purchase cinnamon and glazed donuts, cookies and muffins.

Years ago prior to the travel agency, Bowman’s pharmacy was located in that same spot with a soda fountain and milkshake counter. I recall swiveling on those leather stools with a milkshake or sipping on a straw in an original Coca Cola glass costing 25 cents. The pharmacy was located in the rear of the building.

In those days, Port also had two bakeries. My aunt and uncle, Gordon and Violet Schils, operated Schils Bakery for decades where the Moda Bella store resides. The Port Bakery was across the street next to the First National Bank near where Sherper’s is located. Both bakeries were very successful for a small city population at the time. As a matter of fact, the Port Bakery did not bake at the Port location. The business was owned by people who also owned bakeries in Grafton and Cedarburg, and the bakery was prepared at one of them and transported daily to Port.

Sheboygan has three bakeries. Oostburg and Fredonia each have one. Port should have a daily bakery. And perhaps a few tables where residents and visitors can share a cup of coffee.

If I were to name the bakery in that location, it would be called Port’s Corner Bakery.

Katherine (Kitchie) Allen
Port Washington