Chocadoodledoo re-coop-erates, reopens in Waupaca

Rachel Kroeger

Staff

September 14, 2026

WAUPACA – The rooster has crowed in Waupaca with the reopening of Chocadoodledoo – a confectionery and specialty retail store that Owner Emiley Stevens said recently moved from Antigo.

“We had a soft opening on the Fourth of July, and then a grand opening on the 31st,” she said. “So, we’ve been open for about two months now.”

Located at 114 N. Main St. in Waupaca’s downtown, Stevens said the community’s response to the shop has “been absolutely wonderful.”

“When we first decided to make the move, we started posting on sites down here, letting people know we were coming, and the response has been overwhelming,” she said. “So many people – through Facebook and, of course, in person when we opened – have come to open their arms up, welcome us and tell us how much our store was needed here.”

Leasing a “pretty much turnkey” property, Stevens said the build-out to turn the Main Street storefront is being completed with relative ease as she serves customers from a mostly completed space.

“It’s about 75% complete,” she said. “It had a commercial kitchen, but it only had sinks, so we needed to first clean it all up – because it had been vacant for a little while, so it needed some love. Then, we needed to repaint everything to match the color scheme and theme we were going with.”

Though the storefront is much smaller than the building she and her husband owned – and are currently trying to sell – in Antigo, Stevens said they are making the compact coop work.

“The space we have is much smaller – about 1,200 square feet, compared to our whole building in Antigo which was 12,000 square feet,” she said. “So, we had to make a few adjustments, but it’s big enough to do what we need it to do.”

New space, mainstay selection

Despite being in a smaller space, Stevens said she has plans to grow her business model following renovations.

“We have the main sales floor done – painted the walls, the cabinets, rebuilt some things, took some things down – [but] we have yet to get our classroom ready,” she said. “We’re going to have a classroom in the building… [that doubles as a] small meeting space and that type of thing.”

Adjacent to the classroom, Stevens said something new is soon to debut at Chocadoodledoo.

“We’re building a viewing station for our big chocolate enrober, so people can come and watch it work,” she said.

Other soon-to-arrive items at her shop, Stevens said, include “gourmet oils, olive oils and vinegars.”

“[That was something we had] at the Antigo shop, and we’re getting ready to bring those in here to Waupaca as well,” she said. “Right now, to my knowledge, there isn’t any resource for quality oils and vinegars without going to the grocery store or something, but that’s not the same quality.”

‘A night and day difference’

Though she and her husband are excited about the new opportunities brought by their move – both business and personal – to Waupaca, Stevens said they’re still financially responsible for their building in Antigo until they can find a buyer.

“It’s still for sale,” she said. “The economy there is still in a downturn…, [so] we haven’t had any success thus far selling.”

In a previous update on Chocadoodledoo’s plans to relocate – featured in The Business News’ May 11, 2026 issue – Stevens said she felt there was a lack of investment in Antigo’s downtown area where their building is located.

Thankfully, she said, the lack of success selling her former location isn’t inhibiting any investment in Waupaca, at least for the time being.

“We’re still paying the mortgage on it, so as long as we’re doing well in Waupaca, it should be okay,” she said. “But if anything should happen here, that could potentially be a problem.”

Regardless, Stevens said there isn’t much to worry about with the amount of “positivity” she’s received so far from her new downtown community.

“When we first decided to make a move, we visited downtown Waupaca several times and were blown away at how active it was,” she said. “It is truly a night-and-day difference between our business [in Antigo] and in Waupaca. Everybody is welcoming, and we have probably about three times as many visitors per day as we did in Antigo.”

Even as they finish renovations, Stevens said Chocadoodledoo is open for sweet and savory shopping Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Visit its Facebook page for more.