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June 30, 2025
FISH CREEK – For the 1,000 or so residents of Fish Creek – as well as the influx of tourists who visit during the summer season – Co-manager Kelly Nelson said Nelson Shopping Center is a destination all its own.
The aptly named shopping center – located at 3449 WI-42 in Fish Creek – Kelly said, is the right destination for a hammer, nails and other wares one would expect from a hardware store.
But the store doesn’t stop there, she said.
Whether customers need apparel, art supplies, holiday cards, personal care products or a host of other things, Kelly said Nelson Shopping Center aims to be a one-stop shop.
“(My husband) Adam’s mom always says we have a little bit of a lot of different stuff,” Kelly, who also serves as buyer at Nelson Shopping Center, said. “Our slogan is, ‘If we don’t have it, you don’t need it.’”
Nelson Shopping Center, Kelly said, has everything from “underwear to chainsaws.”
“Whether you’re a local or a tourist who visits and forgets something,” she said. “We have all the souvenirs, lots of activities for kids and families on a rainy day and everything in between.”
Family foundation
Kelly said Adam represents the third generation to operate the storefront – though Nelson Shopping Center began in a different form in another Door County location.
Adam’s grandfather, Gordy, Kelly said, began his entrepreneurial journey with a hamburger/cheeseburger, soda and candy bar stand in northern Door County in 1945.
She said he then began renting boats and, as people needed more goods, his slow business grew, with the first storefront being established in Gills Rock.
Kelly said Gordy then shifted operations to a store in Baileys Harbor and added an Egg Harbor store, then a Fish Creek store.
She said he later closed the Egg Harbor and Baileys Harbor storefronts to focus energies on the current storefront in Fish Creek, which was established in 1984.
“The focus is on making this one place the best we can make it,” Adam said.
The third-generation owner said his journey with Nelson Shopping Center is a long one, starting as an infant napping in the green totes that shipments arrived in at the store.
Adam said he grew up learning the ropes in the Baileys Harbor store and ultimately committed to the business after attending college.
“I went (away for college), but I wanted to come back and have my dad be my teacher as I enjoyed that much better,” he said. “So, I came back and have been working with my dad ever since.”
Adam said he has been working in the Fish Creek store full-time since 2016.
Though his parents, Gary and Peg, own the store and Gary occasionally works hours, Adam said the day-to-day operations fall to him and Kelly.
Teamwork makes the dream work
Joining the Nelson Shopping Center crew about a year ago, Kelly said she and Adam share management and buying responsibilities – which she said includes the recent transition from a True Value store to an Ace Hardware.
Kelly said the change was strategic, with the goal of offering the products customers want at reasonable prices.
“We came out of COVID-19 not being able to find what we wanted – there was a supply-and-demand issue – and then we ran into that again with True Value’s bankruptcy,” she said. “We want to offer people what they’re looking for and a wide variety of products.”
Kelly said the transition is ongoing, and the duo said they are being intentional about ensuring it is thoughtful and smooth.
To that end, they said they are selling their True Valley inventory and ordering products from Ace Hardware without significantly impacting the store.
“It’s taking a bit longer because we’re in a tourist area, and we are in our high season and don’t want our store ripped up,” she said. “We want to do it correctly and not be rushed.”
Kelly said the goal is to become an Ace Hardware store in every way by the end of October.
At that time, she said, customers will enjoy an all-Ace experience throughout the 23,000-square-foot store that draws customers from throughout northern Door County.
The Nelsons said they are well attuned to their customers’ needs and keep pace with new trends by attending trade shows and meeting with vendors, in addition to selecting items that resonate with their own tastes.
“We also make a point of listening to the customers,” Adam said. “When they ask for something, we write it down and see how many people ask for it. If enough people ask, we try to find a good quality item at a good price.”
The variety of those items, he and Kelly said, is extensive.
“Walk two feet in the door and you’ll quickly realize the humongous variety of things we have (on the store floor and the services we offer,” Kelly said. “I hear a lot of people say, ‘I got my swimming suit at Nelson’s and it’s my favorite.’”
Kelly said they announced the transition to Ace Hardware this spring – a move that was met with excitement and support on the center’s Facebook page.
One customer shared excitement for what’s to come, while appreciating how much Nelson Shopping Center “has improved so much over the past few years.”
The Nelsons said they take feedback to heart and credit it for exploring options, keeping the store filled with choices and actively trying new stock.
“We put an addition on in 2020 that gave us a lot more opportunity to carry and display more than just one of a certain item,” Adam said. “In the last couple of years, we have done a lot more work on our displays, so it’s not like walking into a big-box store, because this is a family-run retail store and shopping center.”
Adam said the work also includes achieving great customer service.
He said he regularly meets with his 13 team members to address and focus on delivering a Nelson-worthy shopping experience.
“I have so many conversations with employees (about how) we are never going to beat what internet pricing can provide sometimes,” he said.
But where they can win, Adam said, is in customer service.
“The customer will pay the extra dollar for someone to come up to them, greet them and assist them in finding what they’re looking for,” he said. “That is a lost trait that people have gotten away from.”
Not surprisingly, Kelly said word of mouth is the greatest advertising the store has, whether it’s among the locals, annual tourists, local hotels or other businesses that point the way to Nelson Shopping Center.
She said the team takes great care to deliver stellar customer service both to their seasonal guests and the locals.
“We’re loyal to them and take time with them every time they visit,” she said. “There are people who live here in the winter, and we want to make sure we have the essentials for them, so we don’t shut down in the winter. We listen to the locals to make sure we have what they need so they don’t have to run down to Sturgeon Bay or order online.”
Adam said the store enjoys its highest influx of customers from Memorial Day to Labor Day, but is a year-round operation.
That’s something, he said, the team is proud to deliver – while keeping the family legacy alive in the process.
Adam said that is why Nelson Shopping Center gives back to the community, whether that’s donating five-gallon jugs of water for marathons and bike rides, or paints to local schools.
“We aim to keep the old Nelson feel while keeping up with the times and modernizing,” he said. “I am proud to keep my father and grandfather’s legacy alive, to fulfill the expectations my grandfather and dad built up. We have three kids, and if they ever want the business, we want it to be successful so that someday, they can (own it) and raise a family in Door County as well.”
Check out Nelson Shopping Center’s Facebook page for more information.
