Campbellsport Saying Goodbye to a Community Staple

The doors at the Campbellsport True Value Hardware Store will be closing for the final time after 60-plus years of serving the local community on December 19.
According to a recent Campbellsport News “Glance Backward” article, Mr. and Mrs. Erwin Antonie opened a Ben Franklin Store on Main Street (Currently The Nail Bar).
Jerry and Flora Schanen bought the store from Gil and Rose Howard in 1965 (Jerry had experience in the business as the manager of the Port Washington Ben Franklin), and the Schanens moved the Ben Franklin store to its current location in 1976, which was, at the time, an 8,000-square-foot building.
“There [were] fun promotional events in the 1960s and 1970s,” said former Campbellsport Owner Chris Schanen. “The Chamber had a special promotion called ‘Customer Appreciation’ on Friday night, and a local person’s name would be drawn and put into envelopes that were distributed to all the businesses open on Friday night with a set time (I think about 8 p.m.) The businesses would open the envelope, and if the person was in the establishment, they would win the cash prize,” said Schanen. “The prize would go up each week until we had a winner.”

The store has changed its merchandise mix many times over the years, since it started as a small variety store.
“Affectionately referred to as the ‘Dime Store,’ one of the original features was fresh bulk candy,” said Schanen.
“As the store grew and the retail climate changed, the store changed to not only keep up but also survive and thrive,” said Schanen. “Ladies and children’s apparel, basic shoes, fabric/sewing, crafts, fresh floral, and expanded gifts are some of the unique departments on the variety side.”
Chris and Barb Schanen, along with his sister, Sue Perry, and her husband, Brian, owned the Campbellsport Ben Franklin since the mid-1980s, with the Schanens managing the Campbellsport store and the Perrys managing the Mayville store.
In 2003, they bought several properties surrounding the store location and expanded the store to just under 18,000 square feet, and added the True Value Hardware brand to the store with lawn and garden, paint, and all other basic hardware departments.
In 2020, David Westphal and Nick Perry bought the Campbellsport True Value store from the Schanen family, and recently, the Schanen family celebrated 60 years of their family being a part of the business.
“Over the years, we have been blessed with wonderful associates because they were our neighbors, our friends, and sometimes family,” said Schanen. “We always tried to keep it family-friendly, realizing that the job has to come second to family responsibilities.”
“Many of them were with us for years, with Marian Karoses and Sue Janous for 40 years, and Kim Soyk, our current manager, has been with us for 36 years this month,” said Schanen.
“We have always considered it a privilege to be a part of the greater Campbellsport business community,” said Schanen. “Our village has had and continues to have great community-minded business people running great businesses.”
“We have always made efforts to be involved in our community with active participation and financial donations to community projects, activities and organizations. Just a few of them are the Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club, Jaycees, schools, churches and fire department,” said Schanen.
The Schanens had numerous community events they enjoyed throughout the years, with Krazy Days (the second Friday in July), the Easter bag hunt, Fall Moonlight Madness, Main Street Mania, Halloween Caper with the Campellsport FFA, and Christmas Santa Parade.
“One of the first things my dad did when we moved to Campbellsport and bought the store was to put a float into the 4th of July parade. [We] continued that tradition for many years because we have always felt an obligation to give back to the community that has been supporting us,” said Schanen.
“Their unwavering support for numerous local traditions, including the annual Easter bag hunt, the Caper Halloween event, Main Street Mania, and Small Business Saturday, has helped create countless treasured memories for our residents,” said the Campbellsport Chamber of Commerce.
“I want to thank True Value, and its predecessor Ben Franklin, for their years in business in the Village of Campbellsport,” said Campbellsport Administrator Charlie Kudy. “They have been a staple of our Main Street, and will be missed!”
“The True Value store has been an indispensable partner to the Campbellsport community, and its legacy of engagement is truly irreplaceable. We are profoundly grateful for the dedication shown by both the current and previous owners, whose involvement has enriched our town for generations,” said the Chamber. “Your 50-year presence has enriched our community, and we will forever treasure the memories and contributions you have made. Thank you for your decades of commitment to shopping local.”
“Owning and operating the store and living in this community has given us the opportunity to raise several generations of our family in this great community,” said Schanen. “I like to think that the Ben Franklin/True Value helped this community be a better place to live.”
“It has been an honor to serve the Campbellsport community over the past six years,” said Current Store Owners Nick Perry and David Westphal. “We have truly enjoyed helping our customers complete their projects around the house, plant their gardens, keep their bird friends fed, and find that perfect gift for a loved one.”
“It has been a real treat hearing everyone’s favorite pastime at our store, and we appreciate all of the business this community has done with us over the past 60 years,” said Perry and Westphal.
“We would like everyone to know that we are so very grateful for the support our community has given us over the past 60 years,” said Schanen.