162 Years in Business
1852 – 2014
Carl Robert Suettinger, a German immigrant who arrived in Two Rivers in 1847,
established a tin smith business in 1848. In 1852 hardware was added. This building in the photo was built in 1862 on the northeast corner of Washington and Main (now 16th St.) Streets. In 1882 his son Robert H. Suettinger owned the store. Among the items sold were logging chains, buggy whips, iron kettles, cistern pumps, and kerosene lamps. The kerosene for these lamps was also sold. The store also served as ship’s chandler for the many ships that came into the harbor. A chandler was a supplier of candles for the ships. Robert H. had two sons: Robert continued with the sheet metal business and his brother Walter took over the hardware business.
The front steps of the hardware store were a popular hang-out area for young boys. The early town didn’t have much police protection so a gun was set in the upstairs window. It was diagonally across the street from the bank, and in case of a robbery, the gun could be trained on the bank.
The building was destroyed by fire in 1936. In 1937 Suettinger’s Hardware moved to the Schroeder barn on 17th St. – East of Schroeders Dept. Store. For the next twenty years it occupied a building next to Schroeder’s store on 17th Street.
In 1958 Suettinger Hardware moved to 1407 16th Street. The original brick building at this location, one of the oldest buildings in Two Rivers, was built for Dr. John Oswald, early Two Rivers physician. In the l940’s it was enlarged considerably and was once used as an automobile showroom and garage. Helen and Walter purchased the building. After 162 years in business, the landmark hardware store closed on April 19, 2014. The way people shop changed. The internet and big box stores contributed to the closing of Suettinger’s Hardware.
