Michigan’s First & Oldest Cheese Shop: 1915-Present

Not only is Wilson’s Cheese Shoppe in Pinconning Michigan’s first all-cheese shoppe, it is Michigan’s oldest cheese shop, and has been given the title of “Cheese Capital of Michigan”. It’s wall-to-wall cheese, bricks, slices, blocks, wheels, shreds, spreads...you name the form, they have it.

You’ll find every cheese imaginable and even cheeses you never heard of. The specialty is Pinconning cheese (when was the last time you actually saw Pinconning cheese at your usual supermarket or grocer? I haven’t seen it since I was a kid).

Wilson’s story began in 1915 when cheese maker Dan Horn moved to Pinconning and, with his sister, created Pinconning Cheese. They built a cheese factory and sold their goods at the Horn Grocery Market on old US-23. The grocer was sold in 1939 to Dan’s daughter Inez Wilson, who came up with the idea of a shop that sold nothing but cheese and featuring Dan’s famous Pinconning cheese.

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FAST FACTS:
1939: Wilson’s Cheese Shoppe opens
1941: The shop is moved into a new, larger building
1942: The original cheese factory burns down and a new one is constructed
1947: Public demand prompts the Wilsons to enlist help from two other  creameries 1950s: Extensive advertising
1960s: Pinconning was named “Cheese Capital of Michigan”
1965: Debut of the giant mouse mascots (one for the roof and one for public appearances)

What impresses me is their Pinconning cheese, with its meticulous aging process. The longer it ages, the sharper it gets; and they have a super-sharp Pinconning cheese that is aged up to sixteen years! As with all levels of sharpness, the Pinconning cheese is made from the milk of grass-fed cows, freshly cut off the wheel and wrapped up in old­-fashioned butcher paper just like your great-grandparents used to get.

In the 2020s, you can find not just domestic and imported cheeses, but baked goods, candy, condiments, craft beers, fish, fudge, gifts, meats, Michigan wines, and more goodies – something for everybody.

If you like or love  cheese, it’s worth the trip to PInconning.