MILWAUKEE — I am always amazed at the hidden gems I find in Milwaukee. So, let me ask you this: did you or a sibling have a model train set when you were a child? I’ll never forget that Christmas morning when my younger brother received a model railroad world. Because that’s what they are, miniature worlds, complete with tracks, scenery, structures, itty-bitty people, and of course trains with horns that blow and some that made smoke.
I was mesmerized! Especially because he’d never allow me to touch it, saying “trains were for boys.” So, imagine my delight when I met with Walthers Model Railroading’s fourth-generation president Stacey Walthers Naffah. Obviously, no one told Stacey not to play with trains.
Wm. K. Walthers, Inc., was founded in Milwaukee in 1932. Following her father’s retirement in 2018, Stacey took over as the first female president in the business founded by her great-grandfather.
Over the years, Walthers has changed with the times and technology, remaining as relevant today as ever. In fact, Stacey shared that the pandemic brought about a resurgence in the interest of this age-old hobby.
This hidden gem is tucked away in the Havenwoods community and is open for tours and of course shopping.
For more information go to https://www.walthers.com/
