Laacke & Joys explains ‘retirement sale’

Is outdoor equipment retailer Laacke & Joys going out of business?

The answer is a bit complicated. An email sent by Laacke & Joys announced a retirement sale, and the Brookfield company’s website says company president Marsha Mather is retiring.

“Marsha is retiring and she can’t take it with her, so the entire store is on sale,” the website declares. Both the email and website say Laacke & Joys gift cards expire on Dec. 31.

That has caused questions among some Laacke & Joys customers.

But Mather’s husband and business partner, Terry Mather, said there actually are two parties interested in buying the retail business of Laacke & Joy. The company’s lease ends in January, and the retirement sale is just to make sure they’re not stuck with lots of inventory if financing for the purchase doesn’t come through and a deal doesn’t take place, he said.

“We have two candidates that are vying for the purchase but we have not completed that, so rather than wait, if that doesn’t happen, we need to sell the inventory,” Terry Mather said. “Both of them have agreed they would buy the remaining inventory at whatever time they purchased the company.” Hence, the retirement sale. Terry Mather, 76, said he and Marsha, 69, are retiring only from the retail side of Laacke & Joys Co. They’ll continue to run its manufacturing business.

The manufacturing unit makes many specialized products, such as accessories used in medical imaging, parking meter covers and chairs for security workers who must sit and watch video monitors for hours.

Laacke & Joys was founded in 1844, while Wisconsin was still a territory, and originally supplied cordage, covers, oars, tackle blocks and more for commercial sailing vessels. It has been a fixture in the Milwaukee area ever since.