Remember when there was a sweet shop near the Retlaw Theatre? Here's the story of Caramel Crisp Shop

Daphne Lemke, Fond du Lac Reporter
·3 min read
17-19 S. Main St., between Edith's Bridal and the old Retlaw Theatre, is designated on the state and national registers of historic places. 17 S. Main St. was famous for occupying Caramel Crisp Shop.
17-19 S. Main St., between Edith's Bridal and the old Retlaw Theatre, is designated on the state and national registers of historic places. 17 S. Main St. was famous for occupying Caramel Crisp Shop.

FOND DU LAC — Back when downtown Fond du Lac had a theater, 17 S. Main St. also housed a go-to spot for anyone with a sweet tooth.

Caramel Crisp Shop first opened in the early 1930s, next to what is now Edith's Bridal, according to The Reporter archives.

In 1951, Fred Nimz bought the business from his niece, who had taken ownership about 10 years earlier.

At the time, Nimz was a manager of a meat market in Oshkosh, but from then on, he built up the business selling popcorn, fudge and other sweets — though it was the caramel corn that made Caramel Crisp most famous. Many loyal customers would send the caramel corn to loved ones out of state, and sometimes even to other countries.

More 'Remember when ...': Remember when Ralph & Mama's served its famous chili? The owners are memorialized next to Johnson Street bridge.

Nimz married his wife Hilda in 1969. She then jumped right in to help with the shop. Both were from Wausau, although after high school, she dedicated herself to nursing while he jumped into sports — even landing himself in the UW-Stevens Point Hall of Fame for his basketball prowess from 1937 before he moved on to play professionally in Sheboygan and Oshkosh.

Caramel Crisp's proximity to the Retlaw Theatre offered customers the chance to not only pop in during the lunchtime rush, but to also grab a treat before or after catching a movie.

However, the theater became the reason customers worried for the store in 1985, following the announcement that Retlaw would expand into two more auditoriums.

Ambrosia Café, which sat between Caramel Crisp and the theater, filed a restraining order to halt construction because the addition would block the back entrances to the café and Caramel Crisp and force both to close for violation of a state building code that required a second exit.

Ambrosia Cafe where it stood next to Retlaw Theatre in 1986.
Ambrosia Cafe where it stood next to Retlaw Theatre in 1986.

Theater construction went on as planned, after which the café won a grant to renovate the exterior and fix the exit issue. A new building owner took on the Caramel Crisp lot that same year, and city staff urged him to seek a similar project.

Caramel Crisp lived on for several more years — until 1991, and Nimz died a year later, according to his obituary.

The Caramel Crisp and Ambrosia Café storefronts were listed together on the state and national registers of historic places by 2002, but had fallen into disrepair and required extensive restoration by 2003.

Read previous columns: Click here for more 'Remember when ...' columns

The D. Ahern & Son plumbing business was the original occupant of the building around 1880, and now the storefront has come full circle since J.F. Ahern Co. bought the property for its 140th anniversary in 2019.

The original D. Ahern & Son storefront at what is now 17 S. Main St. Pictured are J. F. Ahern, second from right, and David Ahern, far right.
The original D. Ahern & Son storefront at what is now 17 S. Main St. Pictured are J. F. Ahern, second from right, and David Ahern, far right.

Oshkosh had its own store called the Caramel Crisp Shop — also nearby a Main Street theater — which first opened in 1933. After several iterations, that store is now Caramel Crisp Corner in the City Center, having expanded into a café and gift shop.

It happened this week

  • Jan. 28, 1966: Fond du Lac Common Council withheld action on allowing any community antenna television (CATV) franchise until after a national hearing on what controls the government should have, if any, on the new systems "springing up across the nation."

  • Jan. 29, 1971: St. Agnes Hall, formerly part of a sanitarium operated by the Sisters of St. Agnes that was turned into a St. Mary's Springs Academy classroom building, was demolished after being deemed hazardous for continued use.

  • Jan. 27, 1983: Lakeside Park Zoo said goodbye to one of its black bears after his health deteriorated as a result of spinal arthritis. He lived to be 25 years old, about 10 years more than his life expectancy.

  • Jan. 31, 1990: The Wisconsin governor approved a contract to reconstruct the Forest Avenue bridge spanning the Fond du Lac River. The $454,000 project started in February.

"Remember when ..." is a bi-weekly column from Streetwise Reporter Daphne Lemke that looks back at businesses of Fond du Lac's storied past. Tell her what you'd like to see next by emailing dlemke@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: Caramel Crisp Shop in Fond du Lac was famous for popcorn and sweets