New downtown business to focus on gourmet baked goods, coffee and wine

A new business in the works downtown plans to offer coffee, wine and gourmet baked goods, whether customers are looking for breakfast, lunch or a late-night snack.

Signage has appeared at 227 S. Sixth St. for Schlee's Gourmet Bakery & Bottle Shop, which is slated to open by the first quarter of 2025.

"We wanted something that's going to be unique," said co-owner Ashley Rickenbach, who said the business name is based on her nickname. She described the business model as "high quality, small quantity... we're not going to be Starbucks, where we have 500 frozen croissants in the back. We'll make six to eight items for the day, and once we run out, they're out, but you can come back tomorrow and have something new and fresh."

While Schlee's won't be a traditional restaurant with a full menu, Rickenbach said she and the other owners are very focused on the baked goods that will be offered.

"There will be a lot of attention to the ingredients and how we're making it to ensure it can be at our highest level," Rickenbach said, who noted the wine selection will follow the same model. "We're doing winery visits now so we know exactly who made your bottle," she said.

After graduating from University of Texas at Austin, Rickenbach said she worked in management at a grocery store before taking a job in finance at Whole Foods, which is headquartered in Austin.

"Whole Foods focuses a lot on the ingredients they're putting into food, which I liked, but I wanted to be closer to the customer experience," Rickenbach said. One of her college classmates was from central Illinois, and she recently relocated to Springfield to team up with Benjamin Galbraith and Matt and Rachael Hurley to launch Schlee's. She said her business partners have experience in food service, including restaurants and bars.

Rickenbach said they liked the idea of being located downtown to take advantage of foot traffic to the various tourist sites and the Capitol. She is also hoping to capitalize on being located across the street from Maldaner's.

"Sometimes when the restaurant closes, you don't want your night to end and you're not ready to go home," Rickenbach said. "We'll have pairings with some of the baked good for the wine in the evening. But we'll also be a place people heading to work can grab a bagel and coffee."

Rickenbach said renovations are currently underway on the building, which previously housed a salon but has been vacant for the last couple years. Due to the extensive interior renovations needed, no firm opening date has been set yet. "We're hoping for late 2024 or early 2025," she said. "We're excited to bring this culinary experience to Springfield."