May 12, 2022 – West Bend, WI – A change is ahead for the building at 235 S. Main Street in West Bend, WI. The location, formerly home to Schalla Jeweler, will morph into the new home of a well-established, locally owned and family-owned pizzeria.
“Our plan is to move out of the Paradise Plaza,” said Mike Herbert, the owner and founder of Michaleno’s Pizzeria. “I’ll be honest with you; I’ve been looking for the last two and a half years to buy a building so I wouldn’t have to renew my lease again.
“I looked at several different spots and by the time I knew a building was up for sale, it already had an accepted offer. That’s how fast stuff goes.”
Herbert currently leases space at 1032 Gateway Court in West Bend, WI; he owns the buildings for his other stores in Kewaskum, 250 Main Street, and Saukville, 234 E. Dekora.
Michaleno’s Pizzeria was started in 2008 by Mike and Debbie Herbert in 2008. Their family, including four sons, Mike, Ryan, Greg and Daniel, are also involved. “This was our dream, to open a restaurant run by the family,” he said. “We have brought on other family members and friends to ensure the best customer service.”
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“The last thing on my financial bucket list, before my official retirement, was to leave the business to my kids… but I didn’t want them to have to negotiate a lease,” said Herbert referencing the West Bend store.
“I own the other two buildings in my locations outright. I must have looked at four or five locations in the last six months, but a remodel just didn’t make sense. Then, when I saw the Schalla location pop up, I said, ‘I’m not losing this one’ so we went in the next day and put the offer in right away.”
Aside from purchasing the building, Herbert’s biggest expense will be to add a brand-new exhaust to the parcel on S. Main Street. “To try to take the one out of my current location and move it there, I’d be closed for possibly up to three months, and I don’t want to lose the customer business,” he said.
Click HERE to read about the history of the building at 235 S. Main Street
Herbert said the key to making the transition will be to move quickly and be closed for the shortest period of time.
“My best move in order to ensure I have a turnkey operation will be to move the last week in December 2022 and be open in the new location by January 1, 2023,” he said.
Herbert said he will already be closed two days around Christmas, so he’s going to use that time to make the move.
