Creating a space for comfort and joy in Sheboygan

Meghan Diemel

Contributor

February 9, 2026

SHEBOYGAN – The city best known for its bratwurst, cheese and surfing recently welcomed a new face to its downtown – bakery, sweet treats and home goods store, AspenOak.

The Sheboygan store, located along the northern end of the 8th Street block, is the brainchild of owner Sami Hansen, who said she wanted to create a one-stop shop for fresh bakery goods and other provisions for purchase, alongside a retail section offering gifts and decor.

“It started in my kitchen being a home cottage baker, baking sugar cookies, and [it] kind of evolved into something bigger and better,” she said. “I worked at a home store throughout my years, and I really loved and had a passion for everything that it offered.”

Though she loved the flavors and products she experienced there, Hansen said she also had her own ideas and wanted the opportunity to create something for herself.

“I wanted to bring those [ideas] into our community, because I knew the customers in our area would love it,” she said.

Hansen said she envisioned the shop as a welcoming destination where visitors could linger, combining merchandise, pantry goods and a cafe-style menu in a bright, inviting space full of visual charm.

The shop’s menu, she said, complements its cozy, welcoming vibe – offering a rotating selection of baked goods throughout the week and spotlighting AspenOak’s popular bagel sandwiches on weekends.

Alongside the cafe offerings, Hansen said visitors will find everything from olive oils and sauces to cookbooks, clothing and other gifts – carefully curated by her.

“AspenOak is kind of a little piece of everything I love,” she said.

Finding a home in Sheboygan, Elkhart Lake

Hansen said her entrepreneurial journey began with a small gift market she operated alongside the Christmas trees she sold.

She said she started by adding a few home gifts to her offerings, and over the next three years, the market steadily grew in popularity.

“It [started to grow] and everyone [said], ‘You’ve got a great eye for gifts and really cute things – you should open something,’” she said. “I went off of that and decided to keep branching off and making something bigger and bigger.”

That continued encouragement, Hansen said, eventually led to the opening of AspenOak in Elkhart Lake in May 2023.

For its first three years, she said the store operated daily, closing only on major holidays.

However, over time, Hansen said she realized the peak season aligned with the town’s busy vacation periods, and in December 2025, she transitioned to a seasonal schedule.

Around the same time, Hansen turned her attention to opening a new store on 8th Street in Sheboygan – a city where she was born, raised and has a deep personal connection.

“I’ve had my eye on this building probably for, oh, goodness, 10-15 years,” she said. “It has a beautiful window [in the] storefront, and… when I was dreaming about [and] envisioning opening a store or shop, [I thought], ‘Someday I’m going to be in that building. It’s beautiful, it’s gorgeous, and I’m going to dream and pray that someday it works out.’ And here we are.”

Inspired by her parents’ long-time support of local businesses, Hansen said she wanted to create a place that would become a community staple herself.

“Hopefully in the next couple of years, it can continue to grow and [become] a well-trafficked area because I think there’s so much potential,” she said. “There [are] so many great businesses and restaurants on this street that I think people just need to start coming more and more… I [don’t] think a lot of people know about all the hidden gems we already have.”

Hansen said the Sheboygan community has welcomed AspenOak with so much love since it opened Dec. 12, 2025, that she feels firmly rooted – and already has plans to grow in the future. 

Meanwhile, she said the Elkhart Lake location will continue to make its own impact, complementing what she sees as the village’s staples.

“Elkhart Lake has Vintage, it has Gina’s, it has Off The Rail – and they are the ‘OGs,’” she said. “They’re the ones I look up to, and they’re the ones that are permanently there. So, if I can just be an added bonus in the summertime to add to what they’ve already brought and accomplished, that just makes me happy. I’d rather be an added bonus than trying to compete in their offseason.”

Hansen said the Elkhart Lake store will reopen in mid-April, running as a full shop and market through November.

She said it will also open for the holiday market during the first week of December before taking a short winter break.

“I love it there, but I also love Sheboygan [and] where I’m at, too,” she said.

Building a following by way of bagels, sweet treats and joy

Hansen said AspenOak’s food offerings include a full menu of coffee and other drinks, paired with a variety of baked goods.

The shop’s buttercream sugar cookies, she said, are a fan favorite, made from hand-rolled dough and topped with piped buttercream.

“We also have muffins, and on Wednesday, those are $1,” she said. “So, all day on Wednesday, we keep muffins going to make sure we don’t run out. We’re also known for our cheesecakes and our pop tarts – [which] are filled with Nutella and then frosted with our buttercream and sprinkles.”

Hansen said AspenOak’s bagel breakfast sandwiches have earned a loyal following on weekends, frequently selling out in less than an hour.

Served on a first-come, first-served basis, she said they’re a staple that disappears quickly every Saturday and Sunday.

Flavors, Hansen said, include the “Plain Jane,” a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on a homemade bagel; and “The Dilly,” which adds dill cream cheese and a drizzle of hot honey to the classic bacon, egg and cheese combination.

Hansen said she keeps the menu fresh by testing new recipes every day and has gradually introduced items like quiche, coffee cakes, cake bites and brunch breads.

“I’m always up to something, so I’m sure there will be something fun added every month,” she said. “I just don’t know what it is [yet] because when I know what it is, I act on it really fast, and then we explode with it.”

As soon as the weather allows, Hansen said the Sheboygan store will feature outdoor seating in addition to the shop’s indoor options.

Creating a space of comfort in Sheboygan

As she continues to build AspenOak, Hansen said she loves the freedom to express who she is in everything she does, whether it’s her cookies or the way she flips a table in the home goods area.

“I’m constantly changing the decor, probably once a week, because I want everyone to fall in love with this place every time they enter,” she said. “I want it to be something new and fresh.”

Hansen said family and friends play a big role in supporting the business, with her mother assisting in the store, her father running errands and her sister advising on trends and future store plans.

A self-professed “busy bee,” Hansen said though the stores keep her busy, she wouldn’t have it any other way, as it’s allowed her to build a community of friends and neighbors within the Greater Sheboygan region.

“When customers come in now, they’ll [say], ‘Oh, my gosh, you have an eye for things, this place is just so welcoming,’” she said. “It’s literally everything I love, from pillows to tomato sauces to cookbooks to apparel to accessories. It truly is everything you would find on a vision board of my life. And I want to share that with everyone.”

Hansen said she wants AspenOak to be a place of comfort and joy, where visitors can feel at ease no matter what’s happening in the outside world.

“I want to know people’s names,” she said. “I want to get to know them, I want to get to know what they like and I just want them to leave here – whether they buy something or not – [feeling] like, ‘Oh, I [can] go into that shop one day if I’m having a bad day and… leave with a whole new [attitude].’ Because, just like the smiling faces behind that counter…, it just gives [visitors] this vibe of happiness.”

Check out AspenOak’s Facebook page for more details.