Something for Everyone: Memories of Lauerman Brothers Department Store

by Michael Leannah

In 1890 the Lauerman brothers opened a general store in the lumber-boom town of Marinette, Wisconsin. The business prospered, and soon the brothers abandoned their small quarters on Main Street for a magnificent department store on Dunlap Square in the heart of Marinette. Thanks to the Lauermans’ devotion to offering diverse merchandise, superior customer service, and loyalty to their employees, the store would remain a lively, vital part of the Marinette fabric for one hundred years.This book traces the history of the Lauerman enterprise and its importance to the community of Marinette and dozens of counties in northern Wisconsin and the UP. The author takes readers on a tour of the store’s most memorable and delightful features, from the plethora of merchandise offered to the record-listening booths to the famous frosted malt cones. Along the way we hear the recollections of dozens of former customers and employees whose memories form a unique tapestry of family, business, and community story. As it brings to life the people who worked and shopped at Lauermans, Something for Everyone will have readers fondly recalling their own favorite shopping destinations during the golden age of department stores.

225 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2013

Reviews

[Ronn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can understand why many people would have no real reason to read this book. But for someone like me, who spent a great amount of time in Marinette Wisconsin in the 50s, 60s, & 70s, this book brought back a flood of memories. My grandfather had a ladies' ready-to-wear store down the block from Lauerman's, so I spent many a weekend in Marinette, and spent many an idle hour at Lauerman's lunch counter and in their record department [I bought my first copy of Dylan's Blonde On Blonde there]. Thank you for sharing, Michael Leannah.

[Tom Menacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a good book for local historians. My father's aunt was married to one of the Lauerman children and worked at the "family store." She gets a short mention in the book, as does another relative on my mother's side of the family.
The index of names in the back of the book is where people turn to find the grandparents and cousins who were part of that by-gone era.

[Ian White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book, such a thrilling non-fiction. Love a good local history book.

[Carol]

This recent work by Michael Leannah is part memoir and part retailing history. And while the book doesn't have something for everyone, those interested in our cultural past and the golden age of department stores will find it well worth reading. The lavish use of illustrations helps bring the era alive, and although the Lauerman Brothers Department store is no more, it's clear that in its day it was quite the place to shop.

Please note that I do not use the star rating system, so this review should not be interpreted as a zero.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good WI Historical Society book about the Lauerman Brothers Department Store in Marinette, WI. Our book club is reading this as the author will be in Appleton during the Fox Cities Reads Book Festival next month. I thought it was well done; but I guess the topic didn't connect to me very much so I sort of skimmed from page 100 until the end.