The Milwaukee Public Market is getting a new candy store as Kehr’s Candies winds down its decades-old brick-and-mortar operation.
West Allis-based Freese’s Candy Shoppe plans to open a spot next month at the market in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward, according to a recent announcement. The business will take over the 500-square-foot, centrally located vendor space that’s been home to Milwaukee-based Kehr’s Candies for the past 18 years.
Freese’s sells an array of handmade chocolates, toffee, roasted nuts and other signature treats from both its flagship brick-and-mortar location at 7312 W. Greenfield Ave. and its e-commerce site.
The business was founded in 1928 by Otto Freese and was purchased in 1995 by current owners Wendy and Mike Matel. Wendy started working at Freese’s when she was 16 years old and the couple — along with their three children, Sam, Kailey and Madisyn — have grown the Freese’s brand into the next generation while honoring many of its original 1920s-era recipes and candy-making processes. The addition of Heavenly Roasted Nuts more than 20 decades ago made Freese’s a staple at numerous local festivals and attractions including American Family Field, Wisconsin State Fair and Lambeau Field.
“This is the start of an exciting new chapter for our family and the Freese’s business,” said Wendy Matel. “We take great pride in our handmade products, and our roots in the candy making industry go back nearly a century. We’re thrilled to have our offerings included alongside the impressive lineup of vendors at the bustling Milwaukee Public Market.”
As for Kehr’s, its hand-crafted gourmet chocolate and specialty candy will continue to be sold exclusively online as owners Paul and Katey Martinka step away from “the demands that come from brick and mortar retail,” according to a recent Facebook post. The business’s last day at the Public Market will be Feb. 29, and its products will continue to be available for mail order, curbside pick up and eventually at pop-up locations during winter, spring and fall.
“We will be closing over summers like we used to (its too hot for mailouts), to enjoy some quality time with our family and on our farm,” according to the post.
Pearl and B.D. Kehr started Kehr’s Candies in 1930, buying recipes from candy makers during the Great Depression. They passed the business down to their son Bill Kehr in 1960. Current owner Paul Martinka started working at Kehr’s as a stock boy in 1983, working under Bill Kehr for 12 years learning how to run the factory and the skills to make gourmet candy.
“In many ways, the Freese’s story parallels Kehr’s Candies,’” said Paul Schwartz, executive director of the Milwaukee Public Market and the Historic Third Ward Business Improvement District, in a statement. “They’ve been part of Milwaukee history for decades and their handmade candy have generated an incredibly loyal customer base.”
In addition, he called Freese’s a “significant addition” to the Public Market, adding “we’re thrilled to welcome a long-traditioned candy business to the Historic Third Ward.”
