Bill Klatt not only has a passion for Toledo’s beloved Tiedtke’s, but he is making sure the historic retail store is not forgotten.
For several years I have been buying coffee in memorable Tiedtke’s paper bags at Sautter’s Market in Whitehouse and Sylvania and Walt Churchill’s Market. The coffee is sure to bring back memories for those people who remember the Tiedtke’s experience, as well as questions from the younger recipients who have only heard the name.
Now Mr. Klatt is encouraging the public to accustom themselves anew to the old building on Summit Street in a shop that is called — what else — Tiedtke’s.
This Tiedtke’s opened in a strip shop just off Monclova Road in Maumee in January, and its name is intriguing. A friend and I have stopped there twice and were pleased to see a slow but steady trickle of customers walk up to the counter to order coffee.
The biggest day in coffee sales may not happen again. The Klatts had to have 492 cups of coffee ready for pickup at 6:15 a.m. on the Monday that daylight saving time took effect. The coffee was delivered to the teachers in the Anthony Wayne Local School District and was a gift of the Monclova Road Baptist Church in recognition of the time change. To make the challenge run smoothly, the Klatts got the coffee brewing at 3:15 a.m.
Although there is talk of sandwich and salad service, at this writing customers are limited to sweets that are provided by three local bakeries. They deliver Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Mr. Klatt’s passion for Tiedtke’s began when he was 5 years old. He thanks his mother who worked at Lasalle’s downtown on Adams Street for taking him to the big bustling store on Summit Street. Through the years he has rekindled those memories through contacts with descendants of the Tiedtke family and with former employees to learn what they remember.
Mr. Klatt and his son, Hayden, store manager, offer sweets but the place is basically a coffee shop offering several variations of the Guatemalan coffee that Mr. Klatt prefers for the new business. He roasts, bags, and sells coffee beans in the store.
Personally, I found the cup of original Tiedtke’s coffee a pleasant mid-morning lift, and the Summit Street latte, which would have been easier to drink in a mug rather than an oversize cup, to be OK with a sweet accent of white chocolate.
Other coffee choices are espresso, which is not easy to get in Toledo restaurants, as well as mocha, cappuccino, and an Adams Street latte laced with vanilla. And for those people who say they never drink coffee, tea is available.
But what I have enjoyed even more than the coffees on the two visits is reminiscing while studying a mega wall mural. The mural is the enlargement of a photograph taken in 1952 of Tiedtke’s on what was probably a normal day with a lineup of people waiting to enter.
Even if Mr. Klatt hadn’t known the year of the photo, it is a trip back into Toledo fashion history when we dolled up to go downtown to visit the many stores, especially Tiedtke’s. The waiting crowd in the mural is mostly women. Every one of them was wearing a dress and a hat. Not one was wearing slacks.
The mural invites one to imagine why the anxious crowd was willing to wait to get into Tiedtke’s, and to get closer to the myriad fragrances emitted from the coffee, the hand-dipped chocolates, fresh-baked goods, and cheeses.
While customers are reminiscing by the mural, they listen to nostalgic songs from the ‘40s and ‘50s coming from a 1947 radio. Through Mr. Klatt’s research he acquired a collection of books on old Toledo.
A bag of coffee is the practical gift to take home, but there are also Tiedtke’s T-shirts.
Tiedtke’s Coffee, 4444 Keystone Dr., Unit B, Maumee, is open 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. It is closed on Sunday.
Mary Alice Powell is a retired Blade food editor. Contact her at poseypowell@aol.com.
First Published March 27, 2022, 10:00 a.m.
