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September 22, 2025
KOHLER – As part of a vision to strengthen Kohler Resort’s reputation for wellness and community, Hospitality President Stephen Beaumont said leadership is making a “significant investment” in its offerings, with widespread improvements across the resort.
Among the upgrades, Beaumont said, is a full-scale, months-long renovation of the village’s Woodlake Market.
With the estimated reopening set for the summer of 2026, Beaumont said the redesigned space will provide a more immersive shopping experience for visitors, introducing a new layout that places fresh, curated offerings and interactive culinary experiences front and center.
Gourmet stations for food – like fresh deli items and pizzas – he said, will be offered, along with a wider range of wellness- and sustainability-oriented products.
Beaumont said plans also include a dedicated area featuring Kohler Original Recipe Chocolates.
“We have a commitment to ongoing investment and reinvestment in the entire space within hospitality,” he said. “[Woodlake Market] has been there since 1986 and [through] different permutations… Within Kohler Hospitality, we believe the residents of the village should benefit from that kind of opportunity, [one that’s] more of an experience and not just a place to purchase their groceries.”
Even prior to the current upgrades, Beaumont said the market “never was ‘just’ a grocery store.”
“It’s always been a place where guests or residents have been able to meet… but we’re elevating it to a place that is much more immersive, much more experiential and gives the shopping experience a whole new focus,” he said. “We wanted to create something different.”
Elevating the grocery store experience
Long a hub of activity in the village, Beaumont said when Woodlake Market reopens next summer, it will offer its traditional grocery section – including quality produce and butchery and seafood options.
As part of the expansion, Beaumont said the delicatessen will take on a larger footprint – with a strong emphasis on showcasing a wider selection of cheeses, making it a big focus in the new space.
The new layout, he said, is designed to promote community interaction, whether through shared meals, wine tastings or post-event treats.
“The pizza space is going to be a place for gathering, as will the coffee shop,” he said. “And we’re very excited that we’re going to be relocating the Kohler Original Recipe Chocolate Shop into this space, so there will be a dedicated space within Woodlake Market for the chocolate shop.”
When Woodlake Market reopens next summer, Beaumont said visitors can expect a refreshed, European-inspired aesthetic with a clean, modern design.
Though the building’s exterior footprint will remain unchanged, he said interior renovations are opening up the space and bringing in more natural light for a brighter, more inviting layout.
“Everything we do in Kohler and in Kohler Hospitality… we try to make it relate to graciously living,” he said. “We felt it was a little tired and was not necessarily fulfilling the purpose of what we set it out to do initially. So, we want to make the new product more experiential and still [serve as] a cornerstone of our community.”
An experience-based space
Beaumont said Kohler Hospitality leadership believes the Woodlake Market project marks a bold reimagining of the space, turning it into a vibrant, wellness-focused marketplace that blends culinary craftsmanship, community connection and Midwestern hospitality.
That vision, he said, is aligned with a noticeable shift in consumer behavior, where visitors increasingly prioritize meaningful experiences over material purchases – moving away from impulse buys that often end up unused in closets or cupboards.
“I think there’s an interest in experiences generally, and that’s one of the reasons we are reimagining this space,” he said. “I think people now value experiences more than stuff. It’s a very popular gifting opportunity to provide somebody with an experience rather than just something that you’re going to put in your closet and forget about. So, we’re certainly going to be welcoming people to provide those experiences as an opportunity for interaction.”
Beaumont said the redesigned space is intended to meet the evolving expectations of today’s consumers by offering experiences not commonly found elsewhere.
The goal, he said, is for Woodlake Market to become a destination in its own right – within the broader destination of Kohler.
“Having this space where we can welcome people from the local community and further afield to interact with guests and residents is probably the thing I’m most excited about,” he said.
Filling tourism, village needs outside golf season
Kohler is well known as a golfers’ haven, but as Woodlake Market evolves, Beaumont said expanding the space to host year-round events and activities is a strategic move – creating a welcoming gathering spot for both visitors and the local community across all seasons.
“Obviously, we are a very golf-focused resort, and when the golf course is closed, we see a different kind of market when the golfers are not with us,” he said. “We want to extend our shoulder seasons into the winter more, and I think this is going to provide another reason to be able to come to Kohler, Wisconsin, throughout the entire year.”
During the renovation period, Beaumont said Awakening Café has relocated to the Kohler Original Recipe Chocolates storefront.
Loyalty program members, he said, can continue redeeming points online during the closure, and all accumulated points will carry over to the new program upon reopening.
Though work has just started, Beaumont said his team does not anticipate any construction delays.
“We feel that we have a realistic timeline for this opportunity,” he said. “Clearly, we want to open it as soon as we possibly can to get this going. Should there be any delays, we will communicate that as openly as we possibly can. But at this point, we have a timeline we believe is realistic, and everybody – all our partners – believe they can deliver on that timeline.”
Honoring the past with a look to the future
Beaumont said he and the entire Kohler Hospitality team recognize Woodlake Market’s longstanding role as a gathering spot where community members and visitors connect and create meaningful experiences.
“We believe this renovation is about honoring that tradition and preparing for the next generation of Kohler residents and guests…,” he said. “We’re honoring the past, and we are reflecting on what the future should be.”
Beaumont said the team recognizes its focus extends beyond being just a resort
“We are focused on community, and the Village of Kohler is a community, in and of itself,” he said. “[The market] is a continuation of our mission to help people live healthier, more gracious lives, and we’re trying to do that… one thoughtful detail at a time.”
