like a fine, aged cheese… our story has a rich history!

Did you know our location in West Allis has quite the “cheesy” history? The stories of Cheddar & Swiss have a place in that building before we even came into ownership! Our building was originally the founding location of the famous Merkts Cheese back in the 1960’s. Eventually they got pretty big and opened up many other stores, moving all over the area. In the early 1980’s the building was sold to a local family who renamed the business “West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe”.

There was a young man by the name of Mark Lutz, who grew up just down the street and spent his childhood visiting the store - it held a great many memories not just for him, but for the whole neighborhood. Times & tastes change, and by 2002, the old cheese store was for sale - and who bought it? Mark & Linda Lutz of course! They pioneered the “new” West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe to have the best selection of cheese in the city, and worked hard to bring back that old neighborhood charm.

In 2005, Mark & Linda opened up a second shop in the beloved Milwaukee Public Market downtown, and shortly realized they needed to add a little something extra to cater to all the visitors. In 2007, the Public Market location added their kitchen & cafe, making way for a delicious menu made with the best Wisconsin based products.

No success story goes without some turbulence though… In 2007, there was an unfortunate fire at the West Allis Location, closing the store for nearly 10 months. But like a phoenix, the store was reborn from the melted cheese, and moved ahead to the future. In 2013, the West Allis store added on their kitchen & cafe, and quickly became one of the top rated breakfast & sandwich spots in all of Milwaukee.

Since then, not only has the West Allis Cheese Shoppe been growing strong, but so too has the neighborhood. Mark & Linda have also brought in a few other brands & businesses to add to the community & reputation of West Allis; including the Lutz Bloody Mary brand, Becher Meats Butcher Shop, & Station No. 06 Cocktail Bar & Beer Garden.