PORT WASHINGTON, Wisc. — A Port Washington staple is closing its doors.
Six generations and at least 20 Ewigs have worked for Ewig Bros. Fish Company over the past 130 years. The family business will have its last day on April 30.
The Ewigs are encouraging people to "stop in and get a taste of our family recipes before" that date.
The Facebook post is signed by two current owner-operators Jeff and Matt, a father and son duo. They say their building along Sauk Creek will not be available for purchase, but that they're open to talking to an eager entrepreneur about "carrying on the torch."
"People always told me you'll know when it's time and I think I know it's time," Jeff told TMJ4 News. "It's time to spend some time with the honey."
Jeff and Matt thanked Port Washington for "a century's worth of memories."
"We are so sad that they’re closing. It’s like our tradition to come in here," Cathy McKenzie said after learning the news.
McKenzie and her husband Charles live in Illinois. The couple and their adult children stop by the business regularly.
According to the Ewig Bros. website, the Ewig family actually founded their fishing business on Jones Island in Milwaukee in 1882. Brothers Herman and August moved to Port Washington in 1894, where the business became very lucrative. Herman's sons eventually took over, and the business changed hands within the family several times over the years.
The family bought and retired several boats over the years, but by 1960, a decline in the fishing industry forced them to sell their remaining vessels. Now, the Ewigs operate the smokehouses and retail market across from where those ships were moored.
"Before I even started chartering I would come into Ewigs' starting when I was 16 and I was old enough to drive," Cody Severinsen explained.
Severinsen is a charter captain with Nicky Boy Charters. The two businesses have worked together for decades experiencing the ebb and flow of the industry.
"In the fishing community as a whole we're family," Severinsen added.
Steve Bennett, president at Bernie's Fine Meats, says the closure is a big loss for the city.
"They made something so special. They took care of our wonderful charter boats that bring in a significant amount of tourism and traffic into our town," Bennett stated.
"It's the interaction with the customer I'm going to miss that the most," Ewig shared.
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