MILWAUKEE — The Brown family can breathe easy on their Fourth of July after searching nonstop for a piece of beer history.
Their historic 1964 Schlitz Beer sign was returned on Thursday, around 5:00 p.m.
“I’m shaking,” said owner Todd Brown. “I still can’t believe it.”
He had just gotten it on Sunday, but it was too big to get through the front door.
Todd and his wife collect, restore and sell historic brewing memorabilia at their shop, Brewtown Collectibles in Bay View.
The sign, which weighs 250 pounds, was stolen on Tuesday night at 5:08 p.m. from the shop’s front porch. Todd reached out to TMJ4 for help.
Previous Coverage: HISTORIC BEER SIGN STOLEN: Owner shares plea for its return (tmj4.com)
A picture from a security camera showed the thieves backing their truck onto the front porch and loading the sign on before speeding off.
Todd tells TMJ4 that he has been up for nearly a whole day since the sign went missing, getting the word out and searching for any clues.
“It’s priceless,” said Brown on Wednesday when he spoke with TMJ4.
The piece was one of only two that he had ever seen. The other one was severely damaged by a tornado.
Watch: Todd Brown tells Mike Beiermeister he's "shaking" after the return of his historic Schlitz sign:
The search continued on Thursday, with Todd posting all over social media, giving the thieves one last chance before he would press charges, should it be found.
“It’s the Fourth of July; they had immunity until then,” said Brown.
He then received a mysterious phone call.
“I got a call, and they were like, “We apologize. We were drunk and being stupid," and I’m like, "That’s fine, just return it, and if it’s damaged, I’ll fix it, and if I can help you, let me know,” said Brown.
The caller said they would return it in 20 minutes, so Todd and his family spent their Fourth at the shop. Two hours passed, and there was still no sign of it, so they went to Happy Dough Lucky in Bay View to relax.
Todd thought they might check out the shop one more time.
“I have a feeling that it’s back, and I was focused on here, and she starts screaming while I’m driving. She says it’s back because they set it over, and I’m like, You’ve got to... it’s not an air conditioning unit,” said Brown.
The sign was covered under a tarp and on a pallet on the street in front of their shop. It had suffered minor damage.
Todd then received another call from a woman with a restricted number, telling him that the sign was back. He said the thieves thought it was scrap.
“They made the right choice, did the right thing, and brought it back, so it’s all I care about,” said Brown.
That still left one obstacle: getting the sign back to its rightful spot.
Todd went back to social media and put the word out, asking for help moving it back.
That’s when Heather Henn and her family showed up on Thursday evening.
“Hey, we’re always here to help a friend, and especially in this case, it’s just a great thing that it was returned,” said Henn.
TMJ4 showed up shortly after and helped with the move.
The sign is now secured on the front porch. It will become the focal point for a new museum he’s planning there as a tribute to Milwaukee brewing memorabilia.
“It’s a Fourth of July miracle. What a better time to get it back,” said Brown.
Brown is thankful for all who helped spread the word.
“When people do bad things, you really can make up for it by just doing the right thing,” said Henn. “This is a great example of it.”
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