September 9, 2024 – Slinger, Wi – An institution in Slinger is coming to an end. After more than 40 years in business Jim’s Place, 201 Kettle Moraine Drive S, is closing. The building is owned by the Zucker-Held VFW Post 3358. Chris Ellenbecker is the commander.
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“The lease for Jim’s Place is not being renewed by the VFW,” said Ellenbecker.
Jim’s Place has a rich history in the community. The building, once home to office space for the Slinger Foundry and later Fred Groth’s Shoe Store, was initially a bakery, which is how Jim’s Place actually started.
Jim Herther is the namesake. “I took over City Bakery in West Bend at 326 N. Main Street when I graduated Slinger High School in 1973,” said Herther. “Back then it was owned by Arnold and Ada Kannenberg.”
Click HERE to read more about City Bakery
At City Bakery, Herther recalled they “made everything fresh.”
“We worked at night, so it was fresh that day. We didn’t buy frozen stuff or anything. Everything was from scratch including our jellies, our custard, and our cream,” he said.
The donuts, according to Herther were homemade. “We would mix them, let them proof up, and then we would deep fry them in a donut fryer. You put them on a screen and had starch cloth pans. Yeah, things have changed,” he said.
The bakery in West Bend was doing so well, Herther would load his station wagon for deliveries on his way home to Slinger.
“I would always go home to get a little sleep, and I would take bakery, like bread and hard rolls and drop it off at people’s houses,” he said. ” It was getting to be too much, so I told my wife Brenda we got to find an outlet store in Slinger.”
The Herthers found a little shop where the bowling alley used to be in downtown Slinger, near a little grocery store. “We just put bakery cases and people bought it,” he said.
At the time the VFW hall in Slinger was home to Fred Groth’s Shoe Store. When that went out Jim and his wife started a little shop with donuts and coffee.
“I think that was in the 1980’s and I brought donuts over in a pickup truck,” said Herther. “They were in boxes and on trays and every morning these faithful individuals came to help. It was like an assembly line, and they would slide the trays out of the truck, and hand it to a person, and that person handed it to a person, and they put it on the counter.”
After the donuts, Herther added ice cream to the menu.
“It was very reasonably priced,” he said. “I used to have cones for a quarter and that was before we had air conditioning, and the ice cream would melt but we had lines out the door. People were having fun. It was a blast.”
In 2000 Herther sold the business to Mark Kuehl.
Jim’s Place has posted a notice it will close October 13, 2024 and open in Mayville, WI.
Ellenbecker said Kuehl’s last day will be October 31, 2024. The VFW plans to remodel the space and possibly find a new tenant.
If anyone is interested in leasing the space, contact Chris Ellenbecker at 304-400-3196.
Jim’s Place will have an End of an Era party on Sunday, October, 13th. Our lease will end on the 31st of October, however we will need enough to to vacate the property by the 31st.
Fantastic that Jim’s is moving to Mayville. Mark, congrats. My family will patron you as often as possible.