Born in Fuchsberg, Austria in 1845, Frank Kohlbeck, Sr., came to Wisconsin with his wife Mary and their first two sons, Joseph and John, in 1873. After losing his job working at a tailor shop in Algoma he secured financial backing from a friend to open his own shop. The business opened on Steele Street in Algoma in 1876 as F. Kohlbeck and Sons. The company was truly a family business with all of the Kohlbeck's five sons and three daughters working at the shop in some capacity over the ensuing years. Frank Kohlbeck, Sr., died in 1921 and a few years later in 1925 the business was incorporated as Kohlbeck's, Inc. Frank's son Michael became president of the company in 1939 and managed the business for many years. When he retired the business was taken over by his son Norbert who had been working at the store since 1928. Norbert's daughter and her husband ran the store from about 1966 until their retirement and the closing of the business in 2000.
