Deep Roots In The Door

On Deck Clothing Company has been in business for over 30 years, but owner Mitch Larson’s family traces a Door County history that dates back several generations. It’s no stretch to say that his family helped to build today’s unique local community.

With her husband Wenzel, Mitch’s mother’s grandmother, Mary Bunda, opened a grocery store in Sister Bay in the late 1800s. Located at the corner of Maple Drive and Highway 42, she owned and operated the store for many years. Her first cash register could calculate no sale greater than $2.99 and the majority of her business was actually conducted through a barter system. Basically, bolts of cloth, boots, hatpins and pocket watches were exchanged for eggs and butter.

Destroyed by a fire in 1912, the store was rebuilt and subsequently sold to Mrs. Bunda’s son, William Bunda. He operated the store until it was again destroyed by a fire in 1941; after WWII, the store was rebuilt. Interestingly enough, the entrepreneurial William leased the Lundberg General Store of Fish Creek, now known as On Deck Clothing Company.

Mitch grew up working alongside his father “Wink” Larson in all of his varied endeavors. He peeled potatoes for tourist fish boils and worked on the family’s ski hill in Fish Creek. Not surprisingly, Mitch brought all that hard work, attention to quality and detail to On Deck Clothing Company and today is simply following in the rich tradition of his many Door County ancestors.

Mitch started On Deck in the mid-1980s, after being in the cherry business for many years with both his parents, during which he ran the local cherry processing plant. The operation eventually merged with the Seaquist family’s cherry business. Asked how On Deck first began, Mitch remembers, “As a sideline, I opened up a small retail store with my friend John Ostran, who was in the retail business at the time. We had one and then two and then three stores. Eventually I bought John out and here we are many many years later with stores all over Door County and have built a nice little business.”

Today, Mitch describes On Deck Clothing as a classic sportwear store that caters to the tourist market. Each store carries quality men’s and women’s clothing. “What makes us unique,” he says, “is actually the way we do retail. I was a huge fan of Walt Disney and how he built his company, he deemed it “merchentainment,” the idea that it should be entertaining to be in one of our stores. First and foremost, there’s the customer experience with our staff and the friendliness. We use very unique props in our stores, including vintage Christ Craft, a beautiful motorcycle, and old antiques. Our goal is that an On Deck store should be a fun warm environment with quality merchandise.”

Washington Island Ferry Line

The Washington Island Ferry Line was started in 1940 with two existing wooden ferries. Over the years steel ferries were added and today the line boasts modern, Coast Guard-approved vessels that make up to 25 round trips a day during high season and two round trips per day in winter. After vehicles and passengers are safely on board at the Northport ferry dock, the ferry will embark on a 30-minute ride past Plum, Pilot and Detroit Islands. This area is filled with history. You will be making the same passage as the Native Americans who paddled their canoes from island to island, French explorers who came to the area and schooners that traveled this passage a century ago. Relax and enjoy the ride!