C.J. Mesielwitz in Kiel with store closing signs on the front windows. December 26, 2025. PC: Fox 11 Online
KIEL, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — C.J Meiselwitz in Kiel has been selling furniture for 127 years, but this December the family-owned business announced that it’s closing up shop.
“My great grandfather started this furniture store in 1898, on this same location,” said William Curry, who owns the furniture store along with his brother. They are the fourth generation of his family to run the business along Fremont Street.
“C.J. Mesielwitz, the founder, again 1898, ran it for about 35 years. Then his son, Henry Meiselwitz had the store for 35 years. After that my dad had the furniture store for 40 years and I’ve been here 50 years,” he said.
The rich history of the store isn’t lost on Curry, who said he and his brother are looking to retire after running the store for so long.
“It’s really been a wonderful thing, being a fourth-generation owner of a small business in Northeastern Wisconsin. It’s been wonderful.”
The impact of the store stretches beyond furnishing homes, donating furniture and doing work for local businesses.
“Wolf Motor Sports out of Elkhart Lake, they have sports car owners and racers from throughout the country,” Curry said as he pointed to a photograph of a lounge. “This is their drivers lounge that we furnished.”
Curry said that the community has been hit hard by the announcement, and the future of the store, along with the building, is up in the air.
As for plans to sell the business…
“That’s to be determined,” he replied. “We’re going to see how that works, but there’s numerous people interested in the business as well as the building.”
The store began it’s liquidation sale on the 26th of December. Curry said they will remain open until the warehouse is emptied out — closing the doors on the century-long store.
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