History

Nan & Jerry’s Bait Shop opened its doors in the spring of 1948. Owners Bill and Dorothy Daubner named the business after their two eldest. The first shop was a small red store that started as a bait store selling night crawlers for 12 cents a dozen that Jerry’s future wife Suzie would collect with her father on Koepsel’s mink ranch. They also sold minnows that Jerry and his grandfather, Bert Barringer, would get in Kangaroo Lake. At that time the prices were 35 cents a dozen for minnows and 25 cents a dozen for night crawlers.

In 1967, Nan and Jerry’s moved across the road, to its current location where there was a trout pond that people could fish from. They also sold musical instruments at this time and were one of the first businesses to sell Door County clothing. Bill and Dorothy Daubner continued to run the shop, with the help of Jerry and Suzie, until 1989 when Jerry and Suzie bought the business from them.

Jerry, Suzie and their children Darrin, Dwayne, and Dana lived in Oshkosh, WI where Jerry was an Industrial Technology teacher and Suzie was a stay-at-home mom in the off season. In spring, Suzie would run the shop and her family would join her once summer break started. In 1999, Jerry retired from teaching and moved to Fish Creek with Suzie full time. They continued to operate the seasonal business and then spend their winters at their home in Kissimmee, Florida.

In May of 2015, Dwayne and his wife Jean chose to leave behind their corporate jobs and purchase Nan & Jerry’s from Jerry and Suzie to continue the quality and customer focused tradition that previous generations have established. Relocating to Fish Creek with their two children, Dexter and Dasia, meant Dwayne and Jean were able to enrich their family life and enjoy the outdoors while continuing the family business. 

Dwayne and Jean are passionate about creating a friendly environment in their store while providing the consumer with quality Door County clothing, fishing bait & tackle and camping supplies at affordable prices. The fourth generation of the extended family have already started to help grow the business; Dillon, Dayton, Dexter, Dasia and Drew enjoy helping customers and being involved in this family business that will carry on for many generations.

In 2018, Dwayne and Jean opened a second location in Egg Harbor, Wisconsin at The Main Street Shops, Nan & Jerry’s Door County clothing. The Egg Harbor location specializes in Door County sweatshirts, Door County Hoodies, Door County T-shirts and other Door county clothing.

In 2019, they expanded at the Main Street Shops in Egg Harbor and opened a boutiques. Nan & Jerry’s boutique features clothing, purses, accessories, hats, jewelry, loungewear, gifts and Lang calendar products. They wanted to create a fun and affordable boutique with something for everyone.

Keeping busy is what keeps them going and their creative wheels are always moving. so during 2020 they started to make plans for three new store concepts, located in building 2 of The Main Street Shops in Egg Harbor.

The first of these was Door County Vintage Candy Co. A stroll through memory land featuring nostalgia candy, retro gifts, old fashioned sodas, fudge, taffy, chocolates and more with a huge check out counter adorned with old license plates from around the country. A must see for everyone!

Next was The Happy Camper, a toy store worth exploring. They took a step back to focus on what would be a cohesive combination of toys that would bring kids back to “playing” without electronics. With that though they wanted to introduce (or reintroduce to the adults) nostalgic toys. They also focus on outdoor games, STEAM toys, sustainably sourced wood toys, puzzles, remote control, books, brain teasers, plush and much more! It’s really a store for kids and the kids in you as many adults enjoy shopping at The Happy Camper as much as the kids do.

The third and final phase of this adventure is Just Paws, a boutiques for your dog and dog lovers. This store was an idea they had a few years ago but the timing and location never presented itself, until now. Filled with pampering products for your dog along with treats, toys, collars, leashes, and carriers. We also carry Puppie love clothing for adults, a company that gives back to rescue shelters.

Stop in and visit us in Fish Creek or Egg Harbor and know that you will always have a friend at our stores!


You will always have a friend at Nan & Jerry’s – visit once and you’ll be a customer for life.