Lemke Welding closes up shop after 100 years

After almost 100 years, Paul Lemke and Son Welding has closed down its shop on Hennepin Avenue in Glencoe.
The store opened at the turn of the century and was taken over by current owner Charlie Lemke’s father in 1922.
The store weathered a fire in 1957 and was reconstructed to be the building it is today.
Lemke himself started working there in the late ’50s, putting in more than 50 years of work at the shop.
The store is closing now because it is just too small for the work.
“The building is obsolete,” Lemke said. “It’s part of the times.”
Lemke, now retired, will pass the business onto his son, Jonathan. Though the store is closed, the business will continue on a limited scale at Jonathan’s farm.
After so many years of service, Lemke said it is the people that he will miss the most.
“We were very blessed with excellent neighbors and we had a lot of good friends and good customers,” he said.