Many changes have been made to the downtown Manitowoc business community over the past year or so, with some moving, others leaving the city entirely, and others filling the vacant spaces.
On the Surface is one of the new businesses that hopes to fill the void left by the departing businesses.
Meegan and Jeff Stegemann are the owners of the business located at 836 South 8th Street, which is the former S.S. Kresge Company building.
Jeff is not new to the business world as he has been selling countertops, cabinets, and tile, but he and his wife say they wanted to offer more than that.
“We added a retail section of products,” he explained. “Gourmet grocery products, food and drink items, charcuterie items, things that we like and use that we thought would be a nice compliment that you would put on your beautiful new surface.”
One of the voids filled by On the Surface, as Meegan explains, comes in the form of high-end cooking items.
“We went with olive oils and balsamic vinegar,” she said. “We were able to do a private label…Manitowoc Oil and Vinegar, which we thought was great for our city.”
Meegan also highlighted their chimichurri, which is an uncooked herb sauce best used with grilled meats.
“That is something our family loves that [we] found in Florida,” she revealed. “And we have a sampling bar for sampling all our oils and vinegars and chimichurri.”
They have a variety of other food items, most of which are made in the state of Wisconsin.
“I guess the theme is kind of keep everything as local and made in the United Sates as we can because I think there is a need for that,” Jeff said. “I guess we just tried to fill some gaps of things in downtown Manitowoc that weren’t being sold.”
The Stegemann’s, who are Manitowoc/Two Rivers natives, have been open for business since the start of the month, with Meegan saying the local response has been “overwhelming” but in a good way.
Both locals and tourists alike have visited On the Surface to enjoy their products and clean environment.
“People have been so supportive and welcoming and have loved the space, loved the products,” Meegan said with a big smile on her face. “It has been amazing.”
Jeff also mentioned the local hospitality have led to conversations lasting anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour.
Meegan noted that a lot of the conversations have been around the history of the building.
“Everybody loves to talk about the counter and has great memories of coming down here and eating at the counter,” Meegan said. “Lots of family stories like ‘My grandma brought me here’ ‘My mom brought me here’. Those stories are really neat to hear and it’s neat to hear the connection people have to the building.”
On the outside of the building, the façade got an overhaul thanks to a bit of elbow grease from Jeff and his son.
They, with a little help from Meegan, installed a black granite façade, thanks in part to a grant from the City of Manitowoc, which also helped their new neighbors, Broken Spoke.
The Stegemann’s also spoke highly of their relationship with their neighbors.
“The neighbors are great,” Jeff said. “Broken Spoke, Wrap it Up is great, we have a pretty good tie to the Jean Wolfmeyer School of Dance, Fire Fitness was a fantastic addition to the building.”
You can learn more about On the Surface by visiting their Facebook page or by stopping in Monday through Friday between 10:00 and 5:30 p.m. or Saturdays from 10:00 to 2:00 p.m.
