Shorewood Sendik's Comes Under Fire with Threatened Boycott

Despite threats of a boycott of Shorewood's , store owner Anne Nehring said she hasn't seen much backlash from shoppers- just support.

Two customers came in and told co-owner John Nehring, they were organizing a boycott of the store at 4027 N. Oakland Av.

She added John told them to get out of the store before they would give him a reason for the threatened boycott.

However, on Saturday, an e-mail surfaced threatening a boycott of Shorewood’s Sendik’s, citing the owner's support of Milwaukee County Executive candidate Jeff Stone and that couple has been “giving funds to union-busters.” Stone voted in favor of the governor's budget repair bill.

"I care very much about the community and the employees because they are my family," Anne Nehring said. "People have told me they won't stop shopping here."

She said other customers say they drove out of their way to support the Shorewood location, which the Nehrings independently own. She added she is hurt by the threats coming from Shorewood residents, and their support of Gov. Scott Walker or Stone was done as individuals and not as the owners of Sendik's.

"I should be able to do that, as an individual, without being punished," she said of her support of the Republican party.

Another Sendik's, 2643 N. Downer Ave., wasn't so lucky, as the doors to the grocer were Superglued shut Monday. Anne Nehring said there hasn't been any vandalism of her store.

The e-mail, first reported by 620 WTMJ’s Charlie Sykes, was reportedly sent from one David Weingrod, with an Milwaukee Area Technical College e-mail address, to apparent union representatives at the college and says that the grocer may face a boycott if the owners continue to support Stone.

“Please go to the Shorewood manager this weekend and tell him he needs to tell John Nehring that he either pulls his support from Jeff Stone or we will have a serious boycott of Shorewood,” the e-mail said.

Weingrod couldn't be reached for comment.

It is unclear whether a Facebook page calling for the boycotts of businesses that have donated to Walker’s campaign is connected to the Sendik's boycott, however, the store is among the more than 150 businesses listed on the page. The page currently has more than 17,000 fans.

A check of a Wisconsin Democracy Campaign database of political contributions through the November 2010 election shows that John Nehring made one contribution of $300 to Walker in August. There were no contributions to Stone's legislative campaign and records for Stone's county executive campaign were unavailable.

M&I Bank also is among the businesses targeted by the group and a Greendale location .