Jack and Sherry Kleinschmidt, owners of The Guy’s Shop and Thelma’s, have announced they will be retiring and closing their downtown Merrill businesses this summer.
“We have done a lot to keep our businesses a vibrant part of the downtown, and now is the time for us (to retire),” Jack said.
Both businesses were started by the Vandehey family; The Guy’s Shop 40 years ago and Thelma’s 35 years ago. The Kleinschmidts have owned The Guy’s Shop 17 years and Thelma’s 12 years.
The two stores, which were consolidated into one building at 1025 E. Main St. a couple of years ago, will start a clearance sale May 9. Jack said he expects the sale to run for 6-12 weeks or until everything has been sold.
The former Guy’s Shop building at 913 E. Main St. has been rented to Merrill Karate Club Center of Martial Arts. Jack said they will be looking for a buyer or lessee for the 1025 E. Main St. building as well.
Sherry has spent her entire career in retail. For Jack, running The Guy’s Shop came after a 29-year career in law enforcement.
Jack said the decision to retire was made three months ago, about the time long-time Guy’s Shop employee Patsy Travis announced she would be retiring after 39 years with the store. Jack and Sherry’s son, who had worked at the store, has taken another job doing legal work for the Women’s Community of Wausau.
Just on The Guy’s Shop side of the store, thousands of items will be sold on clearance. In suits alone, more than 700 are available, along with 400 sport coats, over 1,000 ties and a multitude of other merchandise. Between the two stores, they hold hundreds of thousands of dollars in inventory. Even more merchandise will be brought in for the sale, Jack said.
Because of the size of the stores, Thelma’s and The Guy’s Shop have drawn customers from out of town.
“We brought people into the community,” Jack said.